Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) suggested on the Senate floor that illegal immigrants should be able to earn U.S. citizenship by serving in the military.
“What troubles me about the debate now over the southern border is that it is one half of the immigration equation,” Durbin said in a speech on the Senate floor.
“Yes, we need order at the border. Yes, we need to have changes in the laws that reflect the reality of the overwhelming numbers from all over the world who are coming to our shores and our border. But there's also an incredible demand for legal immigration into this country even now.”
“The presiding officer, my colleague from the state of Illinois, has legislation which addresses one aspect of that. Her bill, and I hope I describe it accurately, says that if you are an undocumented person in this country and you can pass the physical and the required background test the like, you can serve in our military. And if you do it honorably, we will make you citizens of the United States. Do we need that? You know what the recruiting numbers are.”
“At the Army and the Navy and the Air Force, they can't reach their quarters each month. They can't find enough people to join our military forces. And there are those who are undocumented who want the chance to serve and risk their lives for this country should be given the chance. I think we should.”
Durbin highlighted legislation proposed by U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to provide immigrant service members with support for obtaining citizenship and veterans' benefits.
The idea of expanding the U.S. military's enlistment to include foreigners, beyond legal migrants, as a pathway to citizenship faced criticism from Republicans.
“So, the Democrats want to flood the country with illegal aliens, enlist them in the military, and make them citizens. They broke the laws invading this country, and they expect them to take an oath to support and defend our nation? Are they out of their minds? Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) said on X.
The Blaze noted Durbin’s speech on X.
“Senator Dick Durbin wants to make it possible for illegal immigrants to join the US military,” the Blaze posted.
The move comes after the military discharged 8,000 members over refusing to take the Covid vaccine.
The mRNA Covid vaccines have since been found to cause heart problems in some, particularly young men, who take them.
The armed services branches have since rescinded that order and tried to recruit those soldiers back, but since the repeal of the vaccine mandate for U.S. military service members, only 43 out of over 8,000 discharged for refusing vaccination have sought to rejoin, according to military branch data.
The vaccine mandate, in place for 15 months from August 2021 to January 2023, faced criticism from Republicans who argued it negatively impacted military recruiting and retention.
Alerts Sign-up