Ending foreign-born recruiting program would be a security threat

Author Lawrence Korb comments on the Pentagon's consideration to end the MAVNI program, which has enabled more than 10,000 immigrants to join the U.S. Army.

The Pentagon is considering ending the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, or MAVNI, program, according to press reports. Doing so would be immoral — not only because of the harm it would do to many brave men and women in uniform, but because it would undermine national security.

The MAVNI program was established in 2008 to enable the armed forces to recruit certain lawfully present immigrants with language and medical skills that were not available in the regular recruiting pool. In return for volunteering to join the military, these men and women were promised that their path to citizenship would be expedited. In some cases, the path to citizenship provided through military enlistment was the only viable path.

The above excerpt was originally published in Military Times. Click here to view the full article.

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