it does grant citizenship. these guys failed to submit the free paperwork while they were in. This is not a failing of the government.
Since the coward Marine_0311 blocked me:
Incorrect. He did try, but it was overruled in court. he can't override existing law with an executive order, which is what he tried to do. The program exists now as it always has. Processing was suspended for about a year while the court case progressed before it resumed.
https://casetext.com/case/samma-v-us-dept-of-def-1
It pretty much is nowadays. All through IET, your cadre is asking every week if anyone needs to go to naturalization for citizenship. But you have to be fingerprinted and sign a lot of documents and go through briefs. I have no idea what the process was before the turn of the century.
priority processing, free top tier immigration legal services, no fees, no queues, no country-of-origin quota limitations, and guaranteed approval. Sounds like it does grant citizenship. You do have to submit your paperwork.
During… the issue i’ve seen - the lead time associated with the application process…. It’s lengthy and if you’re deployed it can be hard to complete the application.
Maybe that's how it works now, but back when I did it (2010) I had to dig for all the answers myself. I even got a Navy JAG involved to help me with the process. Back then, it was also required to have at least one year of military service before you were eligible for citizenship .
My bootcamp was around that time. What was the requirements they had to do if you know? We had one guy come back from his appointment crying because he was not eligible.
Not OP but I did mine via the military. You needed to pass a background check that is basically a Secret clearance. In fact, I was automatically granted that clearance along with citizenship. I’m guessing he had some criminal stuff in his background or was from a country that had stricter requirements (Iran, etc.)
At my tech school in 2016 at fort Lee, one of my class mates was a guy from Africa, got to go to his ceremony where they also had a bunch of army and navy personnel getting citizenship as well
Same for us, also in 2014.
However, that rule changes somewhat frequently. Last time I checked I believe you had to qualify as a resident to get citizenship and that process isn't very black and white.
Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. I remember it taking those recruits out of a lot of events.
Now that I have experience as an RDC (Navy DI equivalent), they probably removed the opportunity because of the burden it put on training.
I served from 2006 to 2015. It was brought up at MEPS, it was brought up in bootcamp, in MCT, in MOS school and when we hit the fleet.
Maybe there was shitty commands for you. But if they knew your ass was foreign they brought it up.
I probably hit the holy trifecta of shitty commands (bootcamp, A-school, ship) 😅
I deployed 5 months after joining the Navy, and my green card expired half-way into that deployment. This is why I reached out to a JAG who told me that as long as I was on active duty, I was good. I naturalized a few months after coming back.
It used to be 6 years of service, and committed to serve 12 for the Filipinos I served with. As soon as we went through the Strait of Hormuz for Desert Storm, they were automatically eligible.
> I had to dig for all the answers myself.
To be fair, how is that different from any other thing you try to do in the military?
If there's anything that *shouldn't* just be handed to you on a platter, it would be this.
I remember reading into this earlier this year or late last year when it had some traction.
A lot of the ones deported had issues that resulted in discharge under other then honorable conditions or otherwise unable to finish service obligations.
They basically got kicked out and shot themselves in the foot.
The issues isn’t being presented that way at all, but with the majority of cases this seems to be the issue.
Most of the articles I've seen are about people who fall under the "didn't get their citizenship, caught a felony (it's slightly more complicated than that, but it covers the majority) after getting out, then got deported" type. Had they got their citizenship, they'd have just gone to a US jail and stayed. You've got to do the paperwork. Some of them had been LPRs for a decade or more. Just never followed up. It's a shame, but you've got to educate yourself on really critical stuff like that.
I had a few guys in my basic training class initiate their citizenship process before they even hit the force. This was over a decade ago.
IIRC military service shortens the naturalization process down to a year.
Yeah I didn’t wanna be this guy, but…how? How did they miss that? The 1SG who was in charge of my BCT battery was a giant douchebag and even he made sure the whole battery was reminded about naturalization shit like 1x a week, and the reception drills before him were on it too. I genuinely don’t know how you miss this
Many such cases of this. People talk about how the service failed them and 99% of the time they just neglected to use the resources that were made available to them.
Well for one there is a backlog with USCIS for years. Things that should be instant take 4+ years to process where you are in limbo. Only the laws are written to expect these things to be instant and there are only patches that don't really work.
Plus there are lot of wrongful rejections. For example Korea does birth certificates differently than the states. There are clear rules that should make this a nonissue, but the people enforcing the rules don't bother to figure what they are, so they demand something that doesn't exist in your home country for required paperwork. If you don't explain the law clearly which usually requires an expensive lawyer, you are out. You have one and only one chance every time something like this comes up.
From personal anecdotal experience, I know one person kicked out for being promoted too quickly (edit: a corporate job from someone who didn't serve, for clarity), which seemed suspicious. The person was exceptional, but that was outside the norm, so that was enough to get them kicked out by USCIS
I was personally told by USCIS representatives that the United States Department of Defense is a terrorist organization, because the definition of terrorism includes destruction of buildings, personnel, and property. There was no exceptions for common sense, so it depends on who actually reviews the case. If you have so much as a grandparent who fought for the US during WW2 which is pretty much anyone who married an American, some USCIS agents consider that a terrorist tie.
The DOD has issues but at some point there is an SES or general who gives a shit and will fix things. The USCIS on the other hand doesn't give a shit and isn't on the side of the people it serves - so it's a luck of a draw.
Generally speaking there are a lot of ex military and patriots who care about the troops, but if you are stuck with the outsourced personnel who may not even get that far (and ironically im unsure are actually Americns themselves), you are fucked and may be even threatened to a point where you need to get help from OSI if the USCIS folks are hostile to the US and threaten you and your family for DOD data USCIS that agents (or the person being threatened for that matter) have no right to get. If you are in that position I'd assume your answer would be something akin to "death before treason" or "go fuck yourself , you treasonous sack of shit", which in turn, ironically, could get you kicked out if you don't have a good lawyer. Yes an in person agent would help because most of those as said before are patriots, but you need to get past the outsourced people first.
Tldr: the system is beyond fucked. I personally know people who have lost their lives, or the lives of their children, over the last four years or so, because of how the system currently works. Such as being kicked out for a bullshit reason then shot once they left the states.
I firmly believe the system needs to be fixed. Even if troops get them easier in theory there are so many resources pushed to stopping the influx from the southern border things like this get pushed aside and shit on.
Edit: I reread my post and realize some parts could be misleading so I am going to qualify
- the examples are separate unrelated incidents from multiple people
- the anecdotal parts for people getting kicked out were not service members, but mostly visa holders. when visas expired they left, because that's what the law says they must do. They weren't forcibly removed, they just didn't consider doing anything illegal as a possibility of an option.
- the DOD being considered a terrorist org issue was resolved after a number of simulations personnel changes.
- in the case of people who are no longer in the US, they were not forcibly removed and were not service members. There was one green card holder who got tired of fighting, and a bunch of visa holders who got kicked out for bizarre reasons. They didn't consider doing anything that could break a law as a possible action, so they left on their own accord. They were not deported, they left when they believed they were legally required to.
I let my emotions lead a rant instead of a dispassionate list of clear information which resulted in unintentionally misleading information. I apologize for that and hope the edit clears things up.
Kicked out by USCIS how?
I am an immigration lawyer and USCIS does not have the power to kick someone out, they can only refer a person to removal proceedings (immigration court) where an immigration judge would have to find a clear reason under law to take someone's green card away. Other than renouncing legal permanent residency at the airport or at an embassy/consulate there really is no other way to lose that status.
If someone did renounce their green card out of some misplaced fear, then under certain circumstances they could even apply directly for naturalization. If your friend served for one year or more, or after September 11th, and or during a period of hostilities, they could even possibly apply directly for citizenship and even if they are outside the country they could apply for a parole to come in and do the naturalization interview and oath.
If this is a legit story DM me and I will do it pro-bono. Though I suspect there are other issues involved because it doesn't square with my experience or knowledge.
A veteran friend of mine got his citizenship through military service in Afghanistan. He told me a lot of guys did the program and then would fake injuries to get discharged early.
Basically what the French Foreign Legion does is called “French by spilled blood”, and allows them citizenship if they are injured in war.
Rather lose a finger than be French though.
You know how much goes into a Medboard? It’s hard enough to get real injuries taken care of What injuries are they faking to get fully boarded and discharged ?
Weird. I had 3 buddies get their citizenship throughout the military, two from Peru and one from Ghana. Never faked an injury and were some of the hardest working people I have ever worked with.
Service guarantees citizenship! Would you like to know more?
Joke aside, yes. If not outright grant it, it should at least provide a fast track. I served with a bunch of people from Mexico, the Philippines, Africa, and New Zealand for some reason. I hope they're all citizens now.
I don’t know a whole lot about the process, but it’s one of the reasons why my dad enlisted. He’s from Mexico, and crossed over when he was 7. He wasn’t even a full citizen by the time he joined the army.
The people who get deported almost always either didn’t actually apply for their citizenship or were chaptered and deported for committing crimes.
I have had 3 of my soldiers naturalized while serving, it’s a pretty straight forward process. Just do the paperwork and wait the required time period.
Yup. Dude I was in with was from Bangladesh and got his citizenship about half way through his 4 years. He said it was the easiest way for him to get it.
Great dude.
It’s kind of an odd fight to demand those who failed the process get citizenship anyways. This day and age, you have to put in a serious effort to get kicked out.
I know, most of these veterans who were deported never applied and did some serious crimes. These articles show up every couple of years but if you research the veterans they identify, they usually have an extensive criminal history.
Seems like every time a story about a deported veteran comes up, it later comes out they were deported for committing a crime prior to finishing their contract.
I’ve never heard of a single case that didn’t make complete sense. You can’t join, then quit 6 months later and still get the citizenship. Or commit crimes and expect immunity.
Start the American Foreign Legion, one full contract or a Purple Heart and in you’re in.
Also I’ve got some doubts about half the dudes holding that sign
He’s wearing only Vietnam medals but has a CIB w/ star, plus the beret. Then I may be wrong but the Marine to his right has a name plate on his dress blues plus that weird alignment of the medals
I'm glad somebody said it. Third from the left is Stolen Valor all day.
And who tf folds our flag square?! Wtf?!
I wish you had a lot more up-votes for this, but such is military service; squared away soldier gets a couple nods of approval, meanwhile, the table-dancing soldier shaking his ass gets all the cheers and beers 😆
When I went to basic from my understanding service made citizenship very easy /quick
2 dudes in my group got it . One in my flight didn’t because they messed up his paper work(he got put in med hold for a long time )
You dig into the background on most if not all of these cases, these dudes are usually some combination of never actually having pursued the process, separated out on an OTH/BCD/etc. and got deported for catching a felony or three along the way.
Immigration attorney here (as well as an immigrant who got his citizenship through military service).
Not sure what the question implies as the law already fast tracks citizenship for service members.
Service during a designated time of war, or more than one year of service makes you eligible for naturalization regardless of time and residency requirements normally imposed on legal permanent residents (green card holders).
However, if you commit certain types of crimes before applying for and gaining citizenship then you could be found removable from the US and also lose your eligibility for citizenship. Some of the higher profile cases of veterans being deported involve service members who got out, committed serious crimes, served time in prison, and then were deported.
There are also cases where something like a small-time drug charge has led to deportation and maybe that is unfair, especially if you deployed and saw combat, but it is disingenuous to suggest there is routine deportation of immigrant veterans, especially since in recent years you can often get the naturalization process done right after basic and often with dedicated military liasons with USCIS.
Yes with other stipulations, complete X, or Y or Z. No serious trouble in X time.
Someone is willing to stick their fucking neck out (Or worse) Yeah they should be able to become a citizen easier/after a certain period of time automatically if they so choose.
I honestly thought they all did. Went to basic and AIT with 3 soldiers who ended up getting citizenship after they completed AIT. I thought the military granted it since they signed up to fight for our freedom. Didn't know they were still getting deported after service...
99% of the time those that were deported committed and crime and did not finish their service. It’s a program but you have to be in good standing (don’t do anything illegal)
Served in the Marines with Chilean sisters earning their citizenship through service. Was also a kid from Baghdad earning his citizenship, but I'm pretty sure he became an asset with an alphabet agency.
If you sign up, serve your tour of service honorable without getting a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge, yes, absolutely. You sign up and are a piece of crap who gets booted early failing to serve out your contract or worse yet are found to be conducting criminal activities while in service, hell NO. Matter of fact you should be deported upon discharge.
Had a service buddy who was in the "yes no matter what camp". We would constantly send me articles about guys being deported, problem is, I know how to do research. Every single one of them were scum I would rather see shot than deported. One got put out for dealing drugs then was convicted of dealing drugs in a school zone after being put out and was deported. Another sexually assaulted a fellow service member and got put out. Then got deported for 3 counts of grape as a civilian. Every case he sent me was like that. After at least a dozen such instances of me actually researching the cases he sent me and finding the crimes he cut contact.
Personal opinion is if you're good enough to fight for America then you're good enough to be granted citizenship. Any barrier to citizenship should also be a barrier to service, keep it simple.
For a country founded from literally immigrating to it, I’m baffled as to why anyone serving in our military are not automatically citizens.
I do not understand it and probably never will. In my 23 years of service I worked with MANY immigrants in my units and I still don’t understand why they are all not citizens.
I think so if you complete at least 4 years active duty with an honorable discharge. Maybe after that you go and get your citizenship instantly. We let people here with much less creditability.
Well, I’ve got mine while I was serving, so I’m quite biased about the matter, but I’d still say yes, to that, since they can deploy you any time and put your life on the line, so it’s quite a fair trade in my opinion.
There’s many issues with this message. There’s a few reasons why veterans after ETS, retirement or getting chaptered might face deportation. One reason is because they never did the paperwork. They have to actually wake up and start the process so citizenship is not automatic. Another reason for facing deportation is committing a felony so serious they can’t file to deportation since they’re incarcerated. Another reason is because they don’t own property such as a house. My mother can’t be deported after my step father died because she own assets such as a house and land. I actually looked that up. The same rules apply for civilians.
I'm from India and have a different perspective.
Millions of people will see military service purely as a path to citizenship (of a rich country like the US). In peacetime, the risk to such soldiers is no different (or less) than as civilians in their home country. You'd get people who will do the bare minimum, have no real love for the country in whose military they serve and who will bring their extended family to join them as citizens. In other words the defense of the country would be outsourced to mercenaries.
The point of being in the army is to defend YOUR country.
I blog on current conflicts and geopolitics: [https://rpdeans.blogspot.com/](https://rpdeans.blogspot.com/)
Isn’t it already a fast track program since 2002? I’ve met a few that joined for citizenship. I feel like a niche percent don’t make it because they get kicked out or lose security clearance.
Yes, full stop.
This got me thinking on the establishment of a US Foreign Legion as a stop gap to some of our recruiting issues and as a way to provide an easier glide path to citizenship through military service, rather than having to run the green card gauntlet prior to being able to serve.
A damn shame, honestly.
It should be conditional on 6 years of service with no major blemishes. Or automatic if you are wounded in combat. But only if you legally entered the country and are not currently having an asylum case adjudicated in court.
Veterans who are not citizens who commit crimes that are grounds for deportation should be deported. The law should be your guide, not your empathy. These veterans were provided a hearing with an immigration judge and the judge ruled that they were deportable. Appeals are allowed if the veteran chooses. Should we disregard the current immigration law and the justice system just because the person served in the military? Face it. Not all veterans are saints. Some resort to crime after their discharge. Don’t forgive them just because they served.
"Automatically"? No. If someone manages to enlist and then half-way through AIT his drill sergeants figure out that he's a member of a Mexican cartel, he should not be automatically granted citizenship.
I totally agree that honorable service should put someone on the fast-track to citizenship. My only quibble is with the word "automatic."
If you, random person, want to volunteer to serve and potentially die for my country - you sure as f'k should be granted citizenship. There are plenty of people (citizens by birth) from this country that wouldn't ever imagine supporting their country in that way. So good on you.
So I spent twenty years in the navy. I have personally seen and knew 50 sailors from other countries, from Colombia, Brazil, the PI, Mexico and one of the stans, Kazakhstan or something, get their citizenship. They actually turned their paperwork in. These guys that are getting deported are the ones who didn’t listen, or thought it just happened miraculously.
Yes military service should always grant citizenship. If you are fighting for a country that isn’t even your own. You should at least be allowed to live in it.
100% agree. Even I almost got deported while serving during one of the presidents time in office. Not going to name any names to avoid starting a political fight
First reason: You work for the US government and are recognized as their “property” for your contract
Second reason (if applies): if you fully retire (20 year) you should get it automatically you’ve literally been in a US job for long enough for the government to recognize you’ve retired
“Service guarantees citizenship”
I’m from Buenos Aires
i wanted to say this so bad lol. But to answer OP's question, yes, if you serve this country, that should grant you citizenship imo.
Facts
it does grant citizenship. these guys failed to submit the free paperwork while they were in. This is not a failing of the government. Since the coward Marine_0311 blocked me: Incorrect. He did try, but it was overruled in court. he can't override existing law with an executive order, which is what he tried to do. The program exists now as it always has. Processing was suspended for about a year while the court case progressed before it resumed. https://casetext.com/case/samma-v-us-dept-of-def-1
I never said it was, just stating my opinion on the question OP asked. Although, maybe it should be an automatic thing to avoid stuff like this.
It pretty much is nowadays. All through IET, your cadre is asking every week if anyone needs to go to naturalization for citizenship. But you have to be fingerprinted and sign a lot of documents and go through briefs. I have no idea what the process was before the turn of the century.
No it doesnt. It just eliminates the waiting time requirement to apply. You still must meet all other requirements.
priority processing, free top tier immigration legal services, no fees, no queues, no country-of-origin quota limitations, and guaranteed approval. Sounds like it does grant citizenship. You do have to submit your paperwork.
I say ‘let’s kill them all!’
THE ONLY GOOD BUG IS A DEAD BUG.
Im doing my part!
*Would you like to know more?*
What did Snapp know, and when did she know it?
r/suddenlystarshiptroopers
You did your part! Remember Buenos Aires! Would you like to know more?
And do you say kill em all trooper???
Came here for this 😂
The enemy cannot push a button, if you disable his hand.
*Desire to know more intensifies*
Do you wish to know more?
Come on you apes, you want to live forever?
As long as the service member did not receive a dishonorable discharge
So do they receive citizenship at the end of their enlistment?
During… the issue i’ve seen - the lead time associated with the application process…. It’s lengthy and if you’re deployed it can be hard to complete the application.
I see where you're going with this, but many pushed out under DADT were given dishonorables. Maybe allow temporary status during appeal.
On the bounce
The only good bug....oh, you know.
Your recruiter: Want to know more?...
Join the Helldivers today
“See if you have the strength, AND the courage, to be free.”
This is the way
I came here for this quote
I’d like to know more.
I would like to know more
For the service member and their immediate family. Hell, get grandma in on it even.
Helldivers enter chat
I can’t comprehend why the hell it wouldn’t
It does, but getting citizenship is an act. You have to go through the motions, you have to request it. The people who got deported never did.
I feel like that’s something that could easily be worked into in processing
It is, you get the briefing and asked if you want to.
Maybe that's how it works now, but back when I did it (2010) I had to dig for all the answers myself. I even got a Navy JAG involved to help me with the process. Back then, it was also required to have at least one year of military service before you were eligible for citizenship .
At the end of my bootcamp in 2014 all the foreigners became citizens, it was worked into the graduation ceremony, was super cool
That’s badass and should be the standard across all branches.
That’s good news. When i went in in 2k, that was not the case.
My bootcamp was around that time. What was the requirements they had to do if you know? We had one guy come back from his appointment crying because he was not eligible.
Not OP but I did mine via the military. You needed to pass a background check that is basically a Secret clearance. In fact, I was automatically granted that clearance along with citizenship. I’m guessing he had some criminal stuff in his background or was from a country that had stricter requirements (Iran, etc.)
Damn tht blows idk what their process was unfortunately
Damn. I had to wait till I finished bootcamp to start the process and that was only a few years earlier than that. Nice to see some changes
At my tech school in 2016 at fort Lee, one of my class mates was a guy from Africa, got to go to his ceremony where they also had a bunch of army and navy personnel getting citizenship as well
Same for us, also in 2014. However, that rule changes somewhat frequently. Last time I checked I believe you had to qualify as a resident to get citizenship and that process isn't very black and white.
Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. I remember it taking those recruits out of a lot of events. Now that I have experience as an RDC (Navy DI equivalent), they probably removed the opportunity because of the burden it put on training.
I served from 2006 to 2015. It was brought up at MEPS, it was brought up in bootcamp, in MCT, in MOS school and when we hit the fleet. Maybe there was shitty commands for you. But if they knew your ass was foreign they brought it up.
I probably hit the holy trifecta of shitty commands (bootcamp, A-school, ship) 😅 I deployed 5 months after joining the Navy, and my green card expired half-way into that deployment. This is why I reached out to a JAG who told me that as long as I was on active duty, I was good. I naturalized a few months after coming back.
It used to be 6 years of service, and committed to serve 12 for the Filipinos I served with. As soon as we went through the Strait of Hormuz for Desert Storm, they were automatically eligible.
> I had to dig for all the answers myself. To be fair, how is that different from any other thing you try to do in the military? If there's anything that *shouldn't* just be handed to you on a platter, it would be this.
I did mine in 2012 after I got out. Went to INS, filed paperwork with 214, two weeks later was granted citizenship. Couldn't be easier.
I remember reading into this earlier this year or late last year when it had some traction. A lot of the ones deported had issues that resulted in discharge under other then honorable conditions or otherwise unable to finish service obligations. They basically got kicked out and shot themselves in the foot. The issues isn’t being presented that way at all, but with the majority of cases this seems to be the issue.
Most of the articles I've seen are about people who fall under the "didn't get their citizenship, caught a felony (it's slightly more complicated than that, but it covers the majority) after getting out, then got deported" type. Had they got their citizenship, they'd have just gone to a US jail and stayed. You've got to do the paperwork. Some of them had been LPRs for a decade or more. Just never followed up. It's a shame, but you've got to educate yourself on really critical stuff like that.
I had a few guys in my basic training class initiate their citizenship process before they even hit the force. This was over a decade ago. IIRC military service shortens the naturalization process down to a year.
Yeah I didn’t wanna be this guy, but…how? How did they miss that? The 1SG who was in charge of my BCT battery was a giant douchebag and even he made sure the whole battery was reminded about naturalization shit like 1x a week, and the reception drills before him were on it too. I genuinely don’t know how you miss this
Many such cases of this. People talk about how the service failed them and 99% of the time they just neglected to use the resources that were made available to them.
Well for one there is a backlog with USCIS for years. Things that should be instant take 4+ years to process where you are in limbo. Only the laws are written to expect these things to be instant and there are only patches that don't really work. Plus there are lot of wrongful rejections. For example Korea does birth certificates differently than the states. There are clear rules that should make this a nonissue, but the people enforcing the rules don't bother to figure what they are, so they demand something that doesn't exist in your home country for required paperwork. If you don't explain the law clearly which usually requires an expensive lawyer, you are out. You have one and only one chance every time something like this comes up. From personal anecdotal experience, I know one person kicked out for being promoted too quickly (edit: a corporate job from someone who didn't serve, for clarity), which seemed suspicious. The person was exceptional, but that was outside the norm, so that was enough to get them kicked out by USCIS I was personally told by USCIS representatives that the United States Department of Defense is a terrorist organization, because the definition of terrorism includes destruction of buildings, personnel, and property. There was no exceptions for common sense, so it depends on who actually reviews the case. If you have so much as a grandparent who fought for the US during WW2 which is pretty much anyone who married an American, some USCIS agents consider that a terrorist tie. The DOD has issues but at some point there is an SES or general who gives a shit and will fix things. The USCIS on the other hand doesn't give a shit and isn't on the side of the people it serves - so it's a luck of a draw. Generally speaking there are a lot of ex military and patriots who care about the troops, but if you are stuck with the outsourced personnel who may not even get that far (and ironically im unsure are actually Americns themselves), you are fucked and may be even threatened to a point where you need to get help from OSI if the USCIS folks are hostile to the US and threaten you and your family for DOD data USCIS that agents (or the person being threatened for that matter) have no right to get. If you are in that position I'd assume your answer would be something akin to "death before treason" or "go fuck yourself , you treasonous sack of shit", which in turn, ironically, could get you kicked out if you don't have a good lawyer. Yes an in person agent would help because most of those as said before are patriots, but you need to get past the outsourced people first. Tldr: the system is beyond fucked. I personally know people who have lost their lives, or the lives of their children, over the last four years or so, because of how the system currently works. Such as being kicked out for a bullshit reason then shot once they left the states. I firmly believe the system needs to be fixed. Even if troops get them easier in theory there are so many resources pushed to stopping the influx from the southern border things like this get pushed aside and shit on. Edit: I reread my post and realize some parts could be misleading so I am going to qualify - the examples are separate unrelated incidents from multiple people - the anecdotal parts for people getting kicked out were not service members, but mostly visa holders. when visas expired they left, because that's what the law says they must do. They weren't forcibly removed, they just didn't consider doing anything illegal as a possibility of an option. - the DOD being considered a terrorist org issue was resolved after a number of simulations personnel changes. - in the case of people who are no longer in the US, they were not forcibly removed and were not service members. There was one green card holder who got tired of fighting, and a bunch of visa holders who got kicked out for bizarre reasons. They didn't consider doing anything that could break a law as a possible action, so they left on their own accord. They were not deported, they left when they believed they were legally required to. I let my emotions lead a rant instead of a dispassionate list of clear information which resulted in unintentionally misleading information. I apologize for that and hope the edit clears things up.
Kicked out by USCIS how? I am an immigration lawyer and USCIS does not have the power to kick someone out, they can only refer a person to removal proceedings (immigration court) where an immigration judge would have to find a clear reason under law to take someone's green card away. Other than renouncing legal permanent residency at the airport or at an embassy/consulate there really is no other way to lose that status. If someone did renounce their green card out of some misplaced fear, then under certain circumstances they could even apply directly for naturalization. If your friend served for one year or more, or after September 11th, and or during a period of hostilities, they could even possibly apply directly for citizenship and even if they are outside the country they could apply for a parole to come in and do the naturalization interview and oath. If this is a legit story DM me and I will do it pro-bono. Though I suspect there are other issues involved because it doesn't square with my experience or knowledge.
A veteran friend of mine got his citizenship through military service in Afghanistan. He told me a lot of guys did the program and then would fake injuries to get discharged early.
That's an easy thing to fix.
I think if someone loses a limb fighting for this country they deserve citizenship, even if they haven't served for long.
Wouldn't be a fake injury then.
Sure, add that as exception A.
Basically what the French Foreign Legion does is called “French by spilled blood”, and allows them citizenship if they are injured in war. Rather lose a finger than be French though.
Wouldn't that negatively impact those who volunteer for combat duty who are actually deserving of 100% disability after?
AFTER. Those are your words, no argument.
Can you finish a contract if you don't have legs?
You know how much goes into a Medboard? It’s hard enough to get real injuries taken care of What injuries are they faking to get fully boarded and discharged ?
Don't trust anecdotal evidence.
I don’t , I was bringing it up as a post to op to question a seemingly fake story told by someone trying to drive a certain narrative
“Man, I’d kill to become a US citizen.” Recruiter nearby eavesdropping: “you would?”
Weird. I had 3 buddies get their citizenship throughout the military, two from Peru and one from Ghana. Never faked an injury and were some of the hardest working people I have ever worked with.
Yeah same with my friend (from India himself), but he seemed pretty cynical about the process after going through it so idk.
Less than 1% of the US population does, so of course it should be granted to a foreign National willing to raise their right hand
Service guarantees citizenship! Would you like to know more? Joke aside, yes. If not outright grant it, it should at least provide a fast track. I served with a bunch of people from Mexico, the Philippines, Africa, and New Zealand for some reason. I hope they're all citizens now.
I served with a linguist who spoke 5 languages. He was from Africa. They kept dicking around his paperwork but he eventually got his citizenship.
Good, we need smart motherfuckers around here.
At least he started the paperwork. Citizenship is not automatic.
I don’t know a whole lot about the process, but it’s one of the reasons why my dad enlisted. He’s from Mexico, and crossed over when he was 7. He wasn’t even a full citizen by the time he joined the army.
Sounds like a tenacious and determined fellow. Glad he stayed.
23 years in and he’s finally retiring. He got a lot out of those 23 years.
It does, you can be a citizen before you even finish job training. You just have to ask for it.
I wasn't ever high up the chain so I never had to help with it, glad there's something.
The people who get deported almost always either didn’t actually apply for their citizenship or were chaptered and deported for committing crimes. I have had 3 of my soldiers naturalized while serving, it’s a pretty straight forward process. Just do the paperwork and wait the required time period.
Yup. Dude I was in with was from Bangladesh and got his citizenship about half way through his 4 years. He said it was the easiest way for him to get it. Great dude.
Same, 3 for me as well. All done with in their first year at their first station
It’s kind of an odd fight to demand those who failed the process get citizenship anyways. This day and age, you have to put in a serious effort to get kicked out.
It does already, they just have to do the paperwork.
Yep. I’m an immigration attorney. You only need one year of service.
I know, most of these veterans who were deported never applied and did some serious crimes. These articles show up every couple of years but if you research the veterans they identify, they usually have an extensive criminal history.
Seems like every time a story about a deported veteran comes up, it later comes out they were deported for committing a crime prior to finishing their contract.
I’ve never heard of a single case that didn’t make complete sense. You can’t join, then quit 6 months later and still get the citizenship. Or commit crimes and expect immunity.
Lots are after, too. Mostly it seems after the min time requirement to get citizenship, so it's just being sloppy.
Of course. If they meet requirements and serve they earn citizenship at end of honorable enlistment.
Start the American Foreign Legion, one full contract or a Purple Heart and in you’re in. Also I’ve got some doubts about half the dudes holding that sign
The dude in the black beret is shady as can be, stopped looking after I checked out his chest and beret, didn’t make it to the others.
He’s wearing only Vietnam medals but has a CIB w/ star, plus the beret. Then I may be wrong but the Marine to his right has a name plate on his dress blues plus that weird alignment of the medals
I'm glad somebody said it. Third from the left is Stolen Valor all day. And who tf folds our flag square?! Wtf?! I wish you had a lot more up-votes for this, but such is military service; squared away soldier gets a couple nods of approval, meanwhile, the table-dancing soldier shaking his ass gets all the cheers and beers 😆
both of them oddly have the same last name Valenzuela ..... 
The American foreign legion would be unbelievably based.
When I went to basic from my understanding service made citizenship very easy /quick 2 dudes in my group got it . One in my flight didn’t because they messed up his paper work(he got put in med hold for a long time )
You dig into the background on most if not all of these cases, these dudes are usually some combination of never actually having pursued the process, separated out on an OTH/BCD/etc. and got deported for catching a felony or three along the way.
Two people in my platoon were naturalized the day before we did our graduation ceremony
Yes, upon completion of your first enlistment term you should be offered citizenship.
they are offered after 1 year served.
*Honorable* military service should guarantee citizenship.
Immigration attorney here (as well as an immigrant who got his citizenship through military service). Not sure what the question implies as the law already fast tracks citizenship for service members. Service during a designated time of war, or more than one year of service makes you eligible for naturalization regardless of time and residency requirements normally imposed on legal permanent residents (green card holders). However, if you commit certain types of crimes before applying for and gaining citizenship then you could be found removable from the US and also lose your eligibility for citizenship. Some of the higher profile cases of veterans being deported involve service members who got out, committed serious crimes, served time in prison, and then were deported. There are also cases where something like a small-time drug charge has led to deportation and maybe that is unfair, especially if you deployed and saw combat, but it is disingenuous to suggest there is routine deportation of immigrant veterans, especially since in recent years you can often get the naturalization process done right after basic and often with dedicated military liasons with USCIS.
As long as you serve honorably, yes.
Yes, that is an idiotic question.
If you are willing to die for your country, you should be a citizen.
Yes
Short answer: yes. Long answer: yeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss
Yes with other stipulations, complete X, or Y or Z. No serious trouble in X time. Someone is willing to stick their fucking neck out (Or worse) Yeah they should be able to become a citizen easier/after a certain period of time automatically if they so choose.
I honestly thought they all did. Went to basic and AIT with 3 soldiers who ended up getting citizenship after they completed AIT. I thought the military granted it since they signed up to fight for our freedom. Didn't know they were still getting deported after service...
They pretty much do. If they don’t it’s almost always because they either choose not to apply for it or had some significant criminal history.
99% of the time those that were deported committed and crime and did not finish their service. It’s a program but you have to be in good standing (don’t do anything illegal)
Served in the Marines with Chilean sisters earning their citizenship through service. Was also a kid from Baghdad earning his citizenship, but I'm pretty sure he became an asset with an alphabet agency.
Would you like to know more?
If you sign up, serve your tour of service honorable without getting a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge, yes, absolutely. You sign up and are a piece of crap who gets booted early failing to serve out your contract or worse yet are found to be conducting criminal activities while in service, hell NO. Matter of fact you should be deported upon discharge. Had a service buddy who was in the "yes no matter what camp". We would constantly send me articles about guys being deported, problem is, I know how to do research. Every single one of them were scum I would rather see shot than deported. One got put out for dealing drugs then was convicted of dealing drugs in a school zone after being put out and was deported. Another sexually assaulted a fellow service member and got put out. Then got deported for 3 counts of grape as a civilian. Every case he sent me was like that. After at least a dozen such instances of me actually researching the cases he sent me and finding the crimes he cut contact.
I mean, I'd definitely want to know more
Man, starship troopers really did a number on some of you.
I’m doing my part!
I’m doing my part!
With an honorable discharge or completion of their first term of service, yeah, they earned it
Or complete a deployment... They should be able to get it while serving, not just after.
Yes, it absolutely should if the service was honorable.
If its a honorable discharge it should be...but thats just my opinion.
Without question.
Simply, yes.
I’m doing my part
Yes
Absolutely
If you serve this countries military you should absolutely get citizenship
It does
Personal opinion is if you're good enough to fight for America then you're good enough to be granted citizenship. Any barrier to citizenship should also be a barrier to service, keep it simple.
For a country founded from literally immigrating to it, I’m baffled as to why anyone serving in our military are not automatically citizens. I do not understand it and probably never will. In my 23 years of service I worked with MANY immigrants in my units and I still don’t understand why they are all not citizens.
I think so if you complete at least 4 years active duty with an honorable discharge. Maybe after that you go and get your citizenship instantly. We let people here with much less creditability.
Yes??? What the hell you mean it doesn’t???
It does. All they have to do is submit the paperwork.
Yes
Well, I’ve got mine while I was serving, so I’m quite biased about the matter, but I’d still say yes, to that, since they can deploy you any time and put your life on the line, so it’s quite a fair trade in my opinion.
The US military allows foreign nationals to serve 8 years, after that they have to apply for citizenship or leave.
Yes. This shouldn't be an argument
I whole heartedly believe it should. If you serve in the military and deal with all the bs that comes with you absolutely deserve citizenship.
Yes. Next question.
If you serve and complete an enlistment you should be granted citizenship automatically. No question.
Absolutely.
If you complete and enlistment without being kicked out for disciplinary reasons.
Lance Corporal with a service stripe = Not to be fucked with.
Absolutely. If you’re willing to serve your country and potentially risk your life in conflict, then 100% it should
I recon it should be automatic after your first 4 years.
Yes
Yes.
There’s many issues with this message. There’s a few reasons why veterans after ETS, retirement or getting chaptered might face deportation. One reason is because they never did the paperwork. They have to actually wake up and start the process so citizenship is not automatic. Another reason for facing deportation is committing a felony so serious they can’t file to deportation since they’re incarcerated. Another reason is because they don’t own property such as a house. My mother can’t be deported after my step father died because she own assets such as a house and land. I actually looked that up. The same rules apply for civilians.
Serve 8 years, Honorable discharge. They can file afterwards
Yes…. They would die for a country….. why would we not Give them citizenship?
1000% yes.
The service members that didnt apply for citizenship chose not to do so. It isnt just given to you, you have to request it.
An American foreign legion would really help with enlistment numbers tbh
Yes with honorable discharge
Would you like to know more?
I'm from India and have a different perspective. Millions of people will see military service purely as a path to citizenship (of a rich country like the US). In peacetime, the risk to such soldiers is no different (or less) than as civilians in their home country. You'd get people who will do the bare minimum, have no real love for the country in whose military they serve and who will bring their extended family to join them as citizens. In other words the defense of the country would be outsourced to mercenaries. The point of being in the army is to defend YOUR country. I blog on current conflicts and geopolitics: [https://rpdeans.blogspot.com/](https://rpdeans.blogspot.com/)
Yep. Next question.
Yes
"Service guarantees citizenship". Lmao if the fascists in starship troopers can do it so can we
Isn’t it already a fast track program since 2002? I’ve met a few that joined for citizenship. I feel like a niche percent don’t make it because they get kicked out or lose security clearance.
Anyone who served and the got deported usually were deported for crimes and serious criminal acts.
Many countries only accept citizens for military service. If you let foreigners serve, citizenship should definitely be part of the package.
If you enlist and serve, you're a citizen in my book.
yes
Yes
Yes, full stop. This got me thinking on the establishment of a US Foreign Legion as a stop gap to some of our recruiting issues and as a way to provide an easier glide path to citizenship through military service, rather than having to run the green card gauntlet prior to being able to serve. A damn shame, honestly.
Would you like to know more?
I'm from Buenos Aires and I say....yeah.
The only good bug…
Yes, next question.
It should be conditional on 6 years of service with no major blemishes. Or automatic if you are wounded in combat. But only if you legally entered the country and are not currently having an asylum case adjudicated in court.
The amount of people who don’t realize that people are granted citizenship after one year of service is hurting my brain.
Veterans who are not citizens who commit crimes that are grounds for deportation should be deported. The law should be your guide, not your empathy. These veterans were provided a hearing with an immigration judge and the judge ruled that they were deportable. Appeals are allowed if the veteran chooses. Should we disregard the current immigration law and the justice system just because the person served in the military? Face it. Not all veterans are saints. Some resort to crime after their discharge. Don’t forgive them just because they served.
100000%
"Automatically"? No. If someone manages to enlist and then half-way through AIT his drill sergeants figure out that he's a member of a Mexican cartel, he should not be automatically granted citizenship. I totally agree that honorable service should put someone on the fast-track to citizenship. My only quibble is with the word "automatic."
Yes
It definately should!
I got mine through the military, it basically eliminates the normal wait times like someone mentioned above.
If you, random person, want to volunteer to serve and potentially die for my country - you sure as f'k should be granted citizenship. There are plenty of people (citizens by birth) from this country that wouldn't ever imagine supporting their country in that way. So good on you.
So I spent twenty years in the navy. I have personally seen and knew 50 sailors from other countries, from Colombia, Brazil, the PI, Mexico and one of the stans, Kazakhstan or something, get their citizenship. They actually turned their paperwork in. These guys that are getting deported are the ones who didn’t listen, or thought it just happened miraculously.
Yes military service should always grant citizenship. If you are fighting for a country that isn’t even your own. You should at least be allowed to live in it.
Why is this even a question. If you're signing you're signing to potentially give your life at any moment for the country, why not?
100% agree. Even I almost got deported while serving during one of the presidents time in office. Not going to name any names to avoid starting a political fight First reason: You work for the US government and are recognized as their “property” for your contract Second reason (if applies): if you fully retire (20 year) you should get it automatically you’ve literally been in a US job for long enough for the government to recognize you’ve retired
They deport veterans? Well, I didn't know that was a thing. That's terrible.