BenK91

The one thing I do find a little strange is that once you've been deported, if you were honorably discharged from the US then you'll get a full military honors funeral and bury you in the US.

I think that's essentially the tool for their argument... 'if you can bury me with military honors in the US why can't I live there'.

scrubbedexpat099

Because they honour your military service not your drug dealing.

Rete

There is no fee for filing the N-400 when you are in the military. The service member, as well as their spouses, can do expedited naturalization.

https://www.uscis.gov/news/fact-shee...ice-fact-sheet

HDWill

This somehow reminds me of an opposite situation-- I served with the US Army in Germany, and a young Ugandan immigrant girl serving on my base died in an off-duty accident. A squad of soldiers from the base flew to Uganda to give her a military funeral in her native village. Makes me oddly proud to remember that.

dc koop

I always thought that a persons resident status was checked by military recruiters beforehand. if not they must be running low on volunteers

BritInParis

It is. You need be to a permanent resident or citizen to join.

dc koop

I knew a couple of Canadians who had served in the US military. There must be a special arrangement between Canada and the US

BritInParis

More likely that they were US-born or had a US-born parent that made them eligible. Indigenous Canadians can also join. Previously non-LPR foreigners with certain specialist skills could also join and naturalise at the end of basic training although that scheme has now ended.

Rete

Read an article on this yesterday that many DACA's join the military and they are not PR's and because of that and their inability to adjust status, they cannot use the expedited naturalization perk offered to US military personnel.

BritInParis

Link? I suspect that’s the MAVNI program which has now been suspended through which you could become a citizen. If they’re undocumented then they’ve either committed fraud or slipped through somehow.

Rete

I will look for the link again. I'm not sure what you mean by undocumented? Many DACAs are documented. Documented means having been inspected at a POE. They overstayed and thus are illegal aliens but they are documented. They just have no grounds to apply for residency, unless they marry a USC or Congress passes a bill or amnesty.

Rete

Trump and DACA: Don’t Forget About Immigrant Veterans Being Deported

BenK91

Very interesting read!

BritInParis

Undocumented in the sense that they entered illegally and acquired paperwork that made it appear that they are a LPR.

Thanks. There's quite a lot in that article which is dubious.

"None are promised citizenship in exchange for their service."

Expedited naturalisation through military service has been available since 2002 and you have been able to naturalise at the end of basic training since 2009.

https://www.uscis.gov/news/fact-shee...ice-fact-sheet

"Deported veterans include those who joined the military and those who were drafted. Many meet the federal definition of DREAMers (after the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors act), who came to America as children, brought by relatives with no say in the matter."

No-one has been drafted since 1973 so if they have been convicted and deported under the 1996 law which was referenced then they would have had over 20 years to become a citizen. Someone who meets the definition of being a DREAMer doesn't mean being bought to America as a child nor does it mean they were not a LPR when they joined the military.

Sounds very much like the example given in the OP - came to the US, legally or otherwise, but joined the military as a LPR and didn't choose to naturalise before committing a felony which led to their deportation.

ddsrph

For many years Philippine citizens had a yearly quota to join US Navy. These were considered to be highly desirable positions and attracted very qualified individuals. Most made the Navy their career and rose quickly in the ranks. It was not unusual to many units essentially run by senior Philippine Chief Petty officers. With the loss of the base agreements the program is probably no longer active.