Army Reservists are suing the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security after they joined a program to give them a fast track to citizenship through military service, said a report in the McClatchy DC Bureau.
Their citizenship applications have been stalled, leaving about 1,000 non-citizen recruits —who are enlisted in U.S. military — at risk of deportation, according to the lawsuit filed by 10 Army reservists.
“Each plaintiff-soldier has kept his/her end of the bargain” by enlisting in the U.S. military, the lawsuit states. Their attorneys say they are ”suffering irreparable harm” and face uncertainty and financial strain, according to the news report.
The 10 reservists joined the military through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, or MAVNI, program, which was put on hold last fall amid security concerns about vetting recruits.
The Pentagon requested DHS stop processing applications of soldiers currently serving while the government does more in-depth background checks, and may terminate the program, leaving about 1,000 recruits who are not yet citizens at risk for deportation, the report said.
“Are they making up new rules there at DoD? I’ve never heard of decertifying someone who is eligible through the Reserves, it is outrageous,” Margaret Stock, a retired Army officer and lawyer, said in the McClatchy report. “They’ve naturalized thousands of reservists and all of a sudden DoD noticed it and they’re going to revoke some of them?”
The Pentagon declined to comment because of the pending litigation, and DHS officials did not respond to requests for comment, the report said.
The lawsuit was originally filed in May, and a D.C. federal judge ordered the lawsuit be refiled to include further legal claims. The reservists will have their next hearing in the case on Aug. 23, according to the report.
RELATED
A Pentagon plan to cancel the contracts of foreign-born recruits could leave 1,000 at risk of deportation.
Congress wants to see a boost in U.S. military presence through permanent basing and rotational deployment as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.
It's not every day that a butterfly enthusiast gets an M4A1. But Monday was that day.
Some 6,000 people, including Navy, Army and Air Force families, suffered nausea, headaches, rashes and other symptoms.
Some schools have reported significant problems in navigating recent changes to veterans education benefits.
Some of the highest concentrations of PFAS chemicals in the country have been found at and around military bases.
DoD remains on schedule to deploy its Genesis electronic health records system worldwide by the end of 2023.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is meeting with his senior military officials to discuss national defense policies.
Two key issues have emerged this year as the most contentious for the Navy: a proposal to decommission 24 ships, and a decision to cut funding for a sea-launched tactical nuclear weapon. Congressional committees are thus far split on these issues, and the House Armed Services Committee will weigh in on Wednesday.
Run by the Air National Guard, the center in Savannah conducts air-to-air combat training missions for reservist and active-duty fighter pilots.
Joining the Army was the best decision of my life, and that is a decision I would never change.
Dubbed “America’s Game,” the friendly but intense football rivalry features future military officers battling for gridiron supremacy in a tradition that started in 1890.
There has been no official confirmation from the U.S. or Russian government that the Americans were being held.
VA sites in Portland and Seattle were scheduled to start work with the new system later this year.
The U.S. Marine presence is focused on the so-called first island chain in the western Pacific.
A video showing the military weapons Ukraine is relying on to defend itself against a Russian invasion attracted crowds at the Eurosatory conference.
Load More