Campaign Action
Writing that the nation is at risk of losing hundreds of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients currently enlisted in the Armed Forces, retired military leaders are calling on the GOP-controlled Congress to pass permanent protections as soon as possible. “Kicking these Dreamers out of our country—the very people who want to serve and would make excellent soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen—is not only contrary to the ideals of America,” say retired United States Navy rear admiral James Partington, retired United States Army Reserve lieutenant colonel Margaret Stock, and retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel Scott Cooper, “it’s bad for our military force readiness and national security”:
Dreamers are the next generation of patriotic and hardworking Americans who want to stay here, make a difference, and — for many -— sign up to protect us from threats around the world. They would continue the tradition that started during the Revolutionary War of immigrants giving the American military an edge. One in five Medal of Honor recipients are immigrants. And as of 2016, roughly half a million veterans were born outside the United States.
That’s why [we] are calling on our leaders in Washington to find a solution, and soon. Each day, more than 120 DACA recipients lose their protection from deportation, and their ability to work and contribute. Without a deal, more than one-third of DACA recipients already in the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program will be unable to fulfill their enlistment contracts and the military will lose these soldiers. We’d lose potentially thousands of additional men and women who would sign up to serve. And we’d send the wrong message to the world.
Among the estimated 900 DACA recipients who have enlisted is Zion Dirgantara, whose protections are expiring next year. With Donald Trump ending the program last September and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican Senate Majority Mitch McConnell refusing to pass permanent protections for undocumented immigrant youth, the reservist cargo specialist says that “I worry about my future every day … I would like to tell our Pennsylvania members of Congress: We were not born in this country, but we grew up here and we’re fighting to earn our place. Please give us our chance to serve the only country we consider home. Please find a way to allow us to work and stay right here where we belong.”
Esmeralda is not in the U.S. military but her fiancé Michael is, and they both need permanent protections in the form of the bipartisan DREAM Act in order to plan and live their lives. With Michael currently deployed and serving our nation, Esmeralda worries about what would happen to their young daughter if she were to have no protections and then be swept up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) mass deportation agents. “If Michael was to come back from deployment but I couldn’t be here … I don’t know,” she says.
“President Trump’s termination of the DACA program could destroy the life I’ve struggled so hard to build,” Zion says. “If Congress doesn’t act now to find a solution for Dreamers, I will lose my right to work and serve my country, and I could even be deported. And I’m one of more than a thousand people with DACA in the same position, who are already serving in the military or who have signed contracts and are awaiting basic training.”
“America has always been strongest when its policies and actions align with its ideals,” the retired military leaders continue. “That means standing as a beacon for freedom abroad, and opening doors for hardworking and law-abiding people from across the globe here at home. That’s why it’s critical that Congress and the White House come together and pass a permanent solution following the rescission of the [DACA] program. It not only will keep us strong—it will keep us safe.”