US has naturalized 32,000 immigrant soldiers since Iraq war

[Barrett808]

Source: AFP

US has naturalized 32,000 immigrant soldiers since Iraq war
by Virginie Montet
Wed Jul 25, 8:42 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Dressed in US military uniforms, an Iraqi, a Mexican and a Colombian stand proudly at their naturalization ceremony, each clutching a miniature American flag in one hand and a copy of the constitution in the other.

"You are part of the most exclusive club in the world," director of US citizenship and immigration services Emilio Gonzalez told them Tuesday at the ceremony, which included 25 new citizens -- mostly soldiers -- from 14 nations.

"You've accepted to defend the principles of the greatest country in the world," said Gonzalez, who is himself a naturalized American.

Each year the United States naturalizes more than 700,000 immigrants. Once they join the armed forces, immigrants who usually have residency based on a green card, are able to fast track their citizenship because they are serving in a "time of war".

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070725/pl_afp/usmilitaryimmigration

[War Pigs]

1. this is what chimp means by jobs Muricans won't do??

[benld74]

2. The same thing happened during the US Civil War

As soon as immigrants got off the boats in New York, they were drated and sent to fight in the Civil War. If you check the nationality of the dead from New York from the Civil War, one can see the correlation. The rich bought their way out of the draft, the poor rioted and were either killed or dispersed with force.

[dogfacedboy]

6. They were overwhelmingly Irish and Scottish immigrants. n/t

[Socal31]

15. Did you just compare volunteer service

to being drafted? I think your logic may be flawed...

[Alcibiades]

3. This is great

A lot of people don't even know non-ctizens can enlist in the armed forces. It's a win-win for these servicepeople and their families, so long as they don't wind up dying in Bush's war.

Of course, it also raises some questions. Why not a similar program for immigrants working in other areas of public service? Why are so many foreigners fighting Bush's war, and none of the children of Republican congresscritters?

[BrokenBeyondRepair]

4. future police state thugs

[LeftofU]

5. yep

this is the way to defeat the premise that soldiers won't fire on their own people.

[saigon68]

18. Mercenaries

They will follow orders no matter how ridiculous.

My Lai will be a "walk in the park"

[BeHereNow]

7. Guest workers...

Who needs a draft?

BHN

[lovuian]

9. exactly

we really don't need any

[BeHereNow]

11. But the empire needs man power.

Who, in their right mind thinks working for
$5.25 an hour is better than enlisting
and being given citizenship.

Sorry, I think the minimum wage increase
is a ridiculous claim of victory.

No one can live on that, not even working three jobs.

Essentially, they have made military service the
best choice for people looking for work in a country
without jobs that pay a living wage-

If Americans don't enlist, then they'll take people
seeking citizenship instead.

We are so fucked.

BHN

[MetaTrope]

8. I wonder how many contractors (who now outnumber troops in Iraq) are getting the same deal?

Most of them (such as Blackwater's mercenaries) aren't from the U.S. either.

[BeHereNow]

10. Makes you wonder about when the private army returns to US- not pretty.

I would be fairly certain that a large percentage of the
private mercs were trained at "The School of the Americas"
specializing in torture and civilian massacres.

Not so sure I want them walking the streets here,
at the beck and call of their hegemonic corporate leaders.

BHN

[Thothmes]

12. Immigrants

The U.S. has been doing this for decades. Up until the early eighties, virtually all of the Stewards enlisted in the U.S. Navy were Filipine Nationals. During the Viet Nam War, I knew of a couple of English men that were drafted after 6 months in the country. Nothing unusual here.

[treestar]

13. "Most exclusive club in the world"

Sheesh, what snobbery.

[depakid]

14. Now tell me THAT doesn't resemble ancient Rome...

[conspirator]

16. The "greatest country" days seem to be counted now n/t

[sanskritwarrior]

17. 32,000 out of 1.5 million that have served in Iraq

So 2% of all soldiers that have served in Iraq have been made citizens??

Over a for year period that works out to 8,000 per year out of roughly 300,000 that pass through Iraq with all troop rotations........

Call me underwhelmed about these numbers. Days on Schofield Barracks where I met non American soldiers are extremly rare.......By this ratio my Brigade of 4,000 soldiers has 80 non US citizens in it........again not really that upsetting, I used to see more foreigners in uniform than I do nowadays.......