DEFENSE/IMMIGRATION/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “…In the last week, recruiters have rescinded contracts for an unknown number of foreign nationals who had signed up for Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, or Mavni, a program introduced in 2009 to attract immigrants with certain language and other skills that are in short supply into the armed forces.
More than 4,000 Mavni recruits have been in limbo since late last year, when the Department of Defense began introducing additional vetting. The protracted process has indefinitely delayed basic training for many enlistees, making it more difficult for recruiters to meet their targets. Recruiting stations are flooded with calls from many concerned that their lawful presence in the country could lapse while they await clearance.
Many Mavni recruits have been airing their concerns on Facebook. In interviews, some said they feared they could be deported…
Supporters of the program have advocated its expansion, saying it attracts a high caliber of recruits at a time when it is especially difficult to bring in well-educated, high-skilled Americans.
But critics have expressed concerns that terrorists could infiltrate it. There has never been a Mavni recruit charged with terrorism. However, dozens of native-born recruits have been charged with terrorism.
The program, which is renewed annually, has been suspended in the past..
Immigrants currently represent about 13.5 percent of the United States population. They constituted 18 percent of the Army soldiers in World War I and 43 percent of the Union Army during the Civil War. Immigrants represented 5 percent of those in the armed forces and about 8 percent of Army recruits last year.”
-Miriam Jordan, “Fast Track to Citizenship Is Cut Off for Some Military Recruits,” The New York Times online, Sept. 15, 2017