National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004

NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2004

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I thank the distinguished Senator from Virginia, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee on which I serve, for his courtesy as well as that of Senator Levin, the ranking member. And I especially state my appreciation to Senator Kennedy and those others who have cosponsored this amendment. I am proud to be one of them.

Mr. President, I rise today to say a few words about this amendment, the Naturalization and Family Protection for Military Members Act of 2003.

In every war our Nation has fought, from the Revolutionary War to Operation Iraqi Freedom, brave immigrants have fought alongside American-born citizens. They have fought with distinction and courage. Twenty percent of the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, our Nation's highest honor for war heroes, have been immigrants.

One in 10 active duty military personnel call my home State of Texas their home. And as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am dedicated to doing everything I can to look out not only for their interests but for the interests of all military personnel, including immigrants.

That is why earlier this year I introduced the Military Citizenship Act that will expedite the naturalization process for 37,000 men and women serving in our Armed Forces who are not U.S. citizens. I believe there is no better way to honor the heroism and sacrifice of those who serve than to offer them the opportunity for American citizenship they deserve.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this amendment because I believe it fulfills a crucial responsibility to welcome those who fight for our Nation and to help immigrants become naturalized citizens, providing their families easy access to naturalization and family immigration protections.

All you need to do is look at this chart which sets out the scheme for an alien military service member to seek naturalization under current law. As you can tell, it is a sea of redtape and needless bureaucracy and is overly burdensome on those who want nothing more than to earn the opportunity of American citizenship and who have demonstrated their commitment to this Nation's ideals and values by their very service.

I believe it is time to do away with this sort of thing once and for all. This amendment and the provisions of this bill streamline the process and make it one that welcomes immigrant service members for their bravery and sacrifice and not one that sets up unnecessary obstacles to their becoming citizens.

I thank my distinguished colleagues for supporting the bill. I again express my appreciation to Chairman WARNER for including language in the Defense authorization bill that directs the Department of Defense to determine if any additional measures can be taken to assist in the naturalization of qualified service members and their families.

I also strongly support the action of the President, retroactive to September 11, 2001, to exempt military members from the requirement to serve 3 years on active duty before applying for citizenship. We must always remember that our own freedom was not won without cost but fought and paid for by the sacrifices of generations who have gone on before us. We must honor the heroic dead for their courage and commitment to the dream that is freedom, and we must honor the worthy heroes who fight today and embrace them as our fellow citizens.

In 1944, Winston Churchill spoke at Royal Albert Hall to the combined British and American troops and reminded them of a greater cause they served, regardless of the bounds of nations or cultures. He said:

We are joined together in this union of action which has been forced upon us by our common hatred of tyranny, shedding our blood side by side, struggling for the same ideals, until the triumph of the great causes which we serve shall be made manifest. .    .    . Then, indeed, there will be a day of Thanksgiving, one in which all the world will share.

In Iraq, the brave men and women of our Armed Forces and the coalition forces fought against those who hate our Nation's values. They hate us because we believe that all men are created equal regardless of their nation of birth, regardless of their religious faith. They hate us because we believe in the God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, rights that extend to all mankind. They hate us because we still say: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

These brave immigrant soldiers are taking on the uniform of our Nation, serving under the flag of our Nation, and fighting the enemies of our Nation and our values. It is only right that they should be welcomed as citizens of this great Nation.

I yield the floor.