WLS - Sen. Durbin Calls For Allowing Dreamers To Enlist In Military

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By Unknown

Senator Dick Durbin is urging lawmakers to authorize young immigrants who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to enlist in the military at a special Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing at Phoenix Military Academy in Chicago.

In 2013, the Senate passed comprehensive immigration legislation which included Durbin's Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act that would, among other things, allow Dreamers to enlist in the military. Since the passage of that legislation, the U.S. House of Representatives have passed an amendment to defund DACA and deport Dreamers. House Republican leadership has also announced they will block a vote this week on an amendment that would allow Dreamers to enlist.

Durbin is calling on that same House Republican leadership to allow a vote, which he is "confident will pass the House on a strong bipartisan vote."

If House Republicans continue to block immigration reform, Durbin is looking to the Defense Department for help. Under current law, the Defense Department can authorize the enlistment of non-citizens when it is "vital to the national interest," a determination that is entirely at the discretion of the DoD.

"Enlisting Dreamers is 'vital to the national interest,'" Durbin argued at a subcommittee hearing in Chicago Monday, "because it would make the Armed Forces more diverse and inclusive, and it would allow the Armed Forces to access a well-qualified, educated, homegrown talent pool."

DACA gives a select group of young immigrants temporary legal status in the U.S. To be eligible, an individual must have entered the country as a child, graduated from secondary school, obtained a general equivalency degree or be currently enrolled in school and not have a criminal record. They also must be thoroughly vetted by the Department of Homeland Security.

Durbin noted in the subcommittee hearing that many individuals who have been granted DACA status hold degrees in STEM fields or possess other skills needed for complex military tasks. Additionally, many participate in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

"Throughout our history, immigrants have proudly served in the United States Armed forces," said Durbin, "fighting, and dying, alongside native-born Americans in defense of their adopted country."

"These young people deserve the chance to prove themselves in the service of the only country they've ever called home," he said.

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