via:NumbersUSA
The Obama Administration announced a new Department of Defense policy on Thursday evening that will allow illegal aliens to enlist in the military for the first time in decades. Current policy forbids illegal aliens from enlisting, however, the Secretary of Defense may authorize enlistment for illegal aliens if it is "vital to the national interest".
Pres. Obama had promised to begin offering executive amnesties to illegal aliens by the end of the summer, but a few weeks ago, he delayed any announcement until after the November elections after receiving push-back from Senate Democrats facing tough re-election bids. Yesterday's announcement, however, is one way he can expand his executive authority and granting amnesty to illegal aliens.
The new policy, known as the Military Accessions in the National Interest, or MAVNI program, will allow up to 1,500 illegal aliens who qualified for deferred action under Pres. Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty to enlist if the illegal alien possesses high-demand skills, mostly rare foreign language expertise, or specialized health care training. According to USA Today, illegal aliens with language skills critical to national security, such as Arabic, Chinese, Pashto or Persian, will likely be targeted by recruiters.
Pres. Obama's DACA program has granted amnesty and work permits to more than 500,000 illegal aliens since he announced it in 2012.
The announcement comes at a time when the military is rejecting more Americans trying to enlist in quite some time. A report published by the Kansas City Star earlier this year said that as many as 80% of Americans trying to enlist are ultimately rejected. Furthermore, earlier this year, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans to draw down the number of troops and the military has been forcing current officers out of the service.
For more information on this story, see USA Today.
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