U.S. Army is Discharging Immigrant Recruits Who Were Promised Citizenship

The United States army is pretty much discharging immigrant recruits with little to no explanation.

The Associated Press reports that at least 40 men and women who were abruptly booted from service after they enlisted under a program that promised a pathway to citizenship. This move has put their status in jeopardy, meanwhile, the Trump administration is under fire for their immigration policies.

Several of the recruits said they weren’t given a reason, meanwhile, others were told they were a “security risk” because they had family members living abroad and/or their background checks were incomplete, as per AP.

“It was my dream to serve in the military,” said Lucas Calixto, a Brazilian immigrant reservist who filed a lawsuit against the Army last week. “Since this country has been so good to me, I thought it was the least I could do to give back to my adopted country and serve in the United States military.”

Those who are facing discharge reportedly enrolled through the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program, which was started under the George W. Bush administration.

There are 10,000 immigrants serving the U.S. military.