American army suddenly unloading immigrant recruits: AP

SAN ANTONIO – Some reservists and recruits from the US Army who enlisted in the US. Army with a promised path of citizenship are suddenly released, the Associated Press reported. The AP has not been able to quantify the number of men and women enlisted in the military, but immigration lawyers say they know more than 40 who have been released or whose status has become questionable, jeopardizing their future.

"It was my dream to serve in the army," said reservist Lucas Calixto, a Brazilian immigrant who filed a lawsuit against the army last week. "Since this country has been so good to me, I thought it was the least I could do to give back to my country of adoption and serve in the US Army."

Some members of the service say that they were not told why they were fired. Others have asked for answers saying that the military was informing them that they had been labeled as security risks because they had relatives abroad or because the Ministry of Defense had not checked the background of these soldiers

. In the pending case, they have not been able to explain the dismissals nor to answer questions about policy changes in the military branches.

Eligible recruits must have legal status in the United States, such as a student visa, before enlisting. More than 5,000 immigrants were recruited into the program in 2016 and approximately 10,000 are currently serving. Most go to the army, but some also go to other branches of the military.

To become citizens, service members need a reputable service designation, which can arrive after only a few days at the training camp. But the recently dismissed military has seen their basic training delayed, so they can not be naturalized.

Margaret Stock, Alaska Immigration Lawyer and retired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel who participated in the Immigrant Recruitment Program These soldiers were inundated in recent days by recruits who were abruptly dismissed.

All had signed enrollment and sworn contracts, according to Stock. Many were reservists who had attended unit drills, were receiving salaries and training, while others had participated in a delayed entry program, she said. "We would not have won the revolution without the immigrants and we will not win the global war against terrorism today without the immigrants."

Stock stated that the members of the service she had heard of had been informed to submit them to thorough background checks, including screenings by the CIA, the FBI and the National Intelligence Agency. counterintelligence interviews. Therefore, by default, they do not meet the background check requirement.

"It's a vicious circle," she said.

AP interviews Calixto and recruits Pakistanis and Iranians who say they are all devastated

"Now the great feeling I had when I enlisted is in the sewers", said Calixto, 28. "I do not understand why this happens."

In the hope of defeating the discharge, he filed a complaint in Washington, DC, last week alleging that the Department of Defense had not given him a chance to defend himself or appeal. Calixto, who lives in Massachusetts and came to the United States at the age of 12, said in an email interview organized by his lawyer that he joined the Patriotism Army [19659002] In the lawsuit, Calixto said that he learned that he was being deported shortly after being promoted to private second class

The Pakistani service member who spoke at the AP he said that he learned in a phone call a few weeks ago "There were so many tears in my eyes that my hands could not move fast enough to wipe them off," he said. "I was devastated, because I love the United States and I was so honored to be able to serve this great country."

He requested that his name be withheld because he feared to be forced to return to Pakistan, where he could

Parts of the 22-year-old PA's military record have revealed that he was so deeply loyal to the United States that his relations with his family and his fiancée in Pakistan would not make him a security guard. threat. Nevertheless, the documents show that the military has cited these foreign links as a concern.

The man had enlisted in April 2016, anticipating that he would be a citizen in a few months, but he faced a series of delays. It had been planned to send to basic training in January 2017, but this has also been delayed.

An Iranian citizen who came to the United States for an engineering degree told AP that he enlisted in the training program. He said he felt proud to "pursue everything legally and lead an honorable life."

In recent weeks, he learned that he had been released.

"It's terrible because I've put my life in line for this country, but I feel like I'm treated like a trashcan." , he said. "If I'm not eligible to become an American citizen, I'm really scared to return to my country."

He spoke under cover of anonymity because of these fears.

It is unclear how the leave of service members could affect In a statement, the Department of Defense said: "All members of the service (contract recruits, active duty, guard and reserve) and those who have obtained an honorable discharge are protected from expulsion. "

immigration lawyers told the AP that many immigrants released in recent weeks were an "uncharacteristic discharge," neither dishonorable nor honorable.

The members of the service affected by the recent dumps have all been enrolled in recent years in a special program of specialists and speakers of 44 languages ​​sought in the army. The idea, according to the Department of Defense, was to "acknowledge their contribution and sacrifice."

President George W. Bush ordered the "accelerated naturalization" of immigrant soldiers in 2002 in order to swell military ranks. Seven years later, the Military Accession for National Interest program, known as MAVNI, became an official recruiting program

. It was attacked by the Conservatives when President Barack Obama added DACA recipients – illegal immigrants illegally brought to the United States. to the list of eligible employees. In response, the military added additional security clearance for recruits before going to training camp

The Trump administration added even more obstacles, creating a backlog within of the Department of Defense. Last fall, hundreds of recruits still in the process of enrollment saw their contracts canceled. A few months later, the Army suspended MAVNI

Republican MP Andy Harris of Maryland, who supported legislation to restrict the program, told AP that MAVNI was established by executive order and never properly authorized by the congress. Our military must prioritize the enlistment of US citizens and restore the MAVNI program to its specialized and limited reach, "he said.

Citizens served in the army since the Revolutionary War, when continental soldiers included Irish, French and German. The United States recruited Filipino nationals to serve in the navy in the 1940s, and worked to enlist eastern Europeans in the army over the next decade, according to the Department of Defense

. According to the Department of Defense, the forces acquired citizenship by serving in the US Army

. Many soldiers recruited under the program have been exemplary. In 2012, then Sgt. Saral K. Shrestha, a native of Nepal, was named US Army 's year – round soldier.

In general, immigrant recruits were more profitable, outperforming their peers in the areas of attrition, performance, education, and promotions. According to a study recently published by the RAND Corporation, a non-profit research institution.

The AP spoke with a 26-year-old Dominica woman who proudly enlisted in the Immigrant Recruitment Program in 2016. She said that she had pierced every month with her reserve unit, which had given her a prize, and that she was waiting for a date to start basic training.

But in March, she looked at her profile on an Army portal. section on his eligibility for security was marked "loss of jurisdiction" without further explanation. The following month, his lawyer said he found the name of the reservist "unsuitable" on a spreadsheet created by the Department of Defense

The reservist, under the guise of anonymity for reasons of legality, said that She had received paperwork last month that indicated her case was awaiting a final decision.

"I've always been a good soldier and I've always done what I've been asked to do," she said. "I got into debt when I entered the army because I can not work legally, but financially, I can not survive anymore, I do not want to give up because I really like being in the # 39; army. I know who to turn to.

In recent years, a group of lawyers have been fighting to have their immigrant clients recruited eligible for naturalization because of accumulated delays. Some have been successful, including nearly 50 recruits who have been granted temporary status while their background investigations are ongoing.

"Some of our clients have finally emerged from the system and at least are undergoing basic training," said Donald Friedman, a Washington lawyer with Perkins Coie.