spu·ri·ous /ˈsp(y)o͝orēəs/ Adjective
not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
President Trump, known for
avoiding military duty due to bone spurs, is being sued for presidential
obstruction of MAVNI (Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest), a
program for foreigners in the military to gain citizenship.
MAVNI was started in 2008
under President Bush, and remains in effect. It allows more than 10,000 foreign-born
military enlistees to become naturalized citizens via an expedited process.
Since the program started, the Defense Department has added a “slow-walk” step
for processing an application by inserting an open-ended step for “Background
Investigation and Suitability Vetting.” Bush and Obama used the internal
vetting process to deny some petitions to become citizens—for reasons not
given.
Now, President Trump is
slow-walking every petition. The effect will be to terminate the lawful
presence of these foreign-born men and women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and
Marines.
Here is a synopsis of the
problem, as stated in Kirwa v. U.S. Dep’t of Defense, 285 F.Supp.3d 21 (D.C.D.C.
2018), at 43: “Every day of delay leaves plaintiffs in limbo and in fear of
removal…. Plaintiffs live in constant fear that they will lose their work or
student visas, or be discharged, deported, and subject to harsh punishment in
their country of origin for joining a foreign military.”
I'll be discussing this situation on PBS-Southern California later this week, and will try to post a podcast.
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