Obama Uses Pen Again: Aliens Can Enlist in Military

By Joe Guzzardi
October 1, 2014

In June, California U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham introduced the ENLIST Act, a bill that would have allowed certain illegal immigrants to serve in the military and eventually gain citizenship. To insure the greatest likelihood of success, Denham attached his bill as an amendment to the all-important National Defense Authorization Act. Nevertheless, Denham’s bill never got to the House floor for a vote, in large part because he couldn’t gather a majority who felt aliens should be permitted to enlist. 

As former Florida congressman and Lt. Col. Alan West said at the time, the purpose of serving in the military should not be about earning citizenship but rather serving the nation. West’s father is a World War II veteran. 

Denham couldn’t get a consensus in Congress and Americans have little appetite for capitulating to young aliens, the so called DREAMers whose demands have steadily escalated over the past few years, but whom Congress has repeatedly blocked. Late last week, however, President Obama ignored Congress’ earlier deliberations, rejected Americans’ opposition and announced a new Department of Defense program that will allow aliens to sign up if, in the opinion of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, it was “vital to the national interest.”  

Known as the Military Accessions in the National Interest, the new program will allow up to 1,500 illegal aliens from the 500,000 who qualified for Obama’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty to enlist, assuming the alien possesses high-demand skills, mostly a mastery of foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Pasto or Persian. Since each of these countries where those languages are spoken harbor terrorist groups, let’s hope that the prospective alien soldiers are thoroughly vetted. 

Given that 80 percent of Americans who apply are rejected, that Hagel plans to downsize the military to its smallest level in 74 years, and that officers and enlisted personnel are being forced out, envisioning a scenario wherein adding illegal aliens could be considered “vital” is hard to imagine. The Army’s cuts will reduce the active component by 74.000 soldiers including 1,188 captains and 550 majors. Adding illegal aliens would directly displace more Americans.

Obama’s unilateral action comes at a time when the illegal alien controversy has reached a crescendo among concerned Americans who want immigration laws enforced. The White House took minimal action against this summer’s unlawful Central American invasion. Many Central Americans have been reunited with their illegal immigrant families; students have enrolled in K-12 schools. Others in transition receive taxpayer-funded deluxe treatment at luxury housing facilities.

Obama may not be through using his pen. The president has repeatedly promised to give amnesty and work permits to at least 5 of the 12 million illegal aliens currently living the U.S.  Capitol Hill insiders predict Obama’s executive amnesty will be granted shortly after the November elections.

Each of Obama’s unconstitutional and congressional immigration circumventions sends a signal picked up worldwide by would be aliens: Come and you’ll be welcomed.  Although Americans see little proof of it from the White House, the U.S. is a Constitutional democracy with three equal government branches that assure checks and balances against executive overreach. The Legislative branch passes the laws and the Executive branch must uphold them—all of them, not just the ones the president agrees with. Instead of democracy, Americans have government by fiat.

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Joe Guzzardi is a Californians for Population Stabilization Senior Writing Fellow whose columns have been nationally syndicated since 1987. Contact him at [email protected]