How safe would Americans feel if a sizeable portion of the military were made up of people whose first act in this country was to break its laws? A pair of Illinois Democrats, Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, are pushing a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to sign up. Is it wise to open America's armed forces to those who smuggled themselves across the border – more than a hundred of whom over the past year were on the terrorist watch list?
Legal Process for Recruiting Non-Citizens Exists
Non-citizens who live here legally are already allowed to join, but current Department of Defense policies and appealing employment options in the private sector have caused a recruiting crisis, as they and military-age citizens alike see better opportunities elsewhere. So, the alternative is to seduce illegals? As the Veterans for New Americans information document "Non-Citizens in the US Military Fact Sheet" explains: "To join the US military, non-citizens must be living permanently and legally in the United States. Non-citizens must also have permission to work in the United States, possess an I-551 (Permanent Residence Card), have obtained a high school diploma, and speak English." The Enlist Act would go much farther. As Sen. Duckworth explained in a press release, it would:
"[S]tart addressing the recruiting crisis by enabling the Department of Defense to expand the pool to include long-time residents – like DACA recipients, folks who have Temporary Protected Status and those who have an approved petition for an immigrant visa, subject to visa caps. Allowing highly qualified, long-time residents of our great nation the opportunity to serve the country they've come to love is a commonsense way to give the services better access to talented potential recruits."
(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
On December 8, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) astutely pointed out in a floor speech that Sen. Durbin, a backer of the Duckworth bill, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are ardent advocates for a ban on so-called assault weapons. "But they want to turn around and give an assault weapon to a Chinese or a Russian or Iranian that's come into this country illegally to protect the American citizens of the United States of America. Have we lost our minds?"
No Evidence for Duckworth's Claims
Sen. Duckworth claims the military recruiting problem stems from an "historically small pool of eligible recruits." There is no evidence that assertion is true. The fact is, there is a shortage of eligible recruits who want to join the military. That's different, and the problem is one of the progressive Democrats' own making.
Nathan Stone, writing for The Federalist, argued that what Americans are seeing is unprecedented arrests of "military-aged Chinese nationals illegally entering the country through California" and becoming part of the Chinese Communist Party espionage apparatus in the United States. Furthermore, Stone contended: "The military recruitment lows are not news. Funnily enough, that is what happens when you make it a point to drive away the people most likely to enlist and serve … The recruitment shortage is a problem entirely of the left's making."
Unappealing progressive atmospherics – like the US Navy using drag queens to entice young recruits – have failed demonstrably. But why would anyone think this plan is a good idea when considering what Bethany Blankley reported in the Washington Examiner: “[Of] the more than 8.6 million people who've illegally entered the US since President Joe Biden took office, at least nearly 1.6 million are 'gotaways.'" But it gets worse. “From October last year to this September, officials at the southern border arrested 169 people whose names matched those on the watch list, compared with 98 during the previous fiscal year and 15 in 2021, according to government data,” The New York Times reported. For comparison, under the Trump administration, only 11 on the FBI terrorist watch list were caught illegally entering the United States. Perhaps Democrats should consider another way to help recruiting: Employ enticements that emphasize service, merit, and dedication to keeping America secure.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
