A Stunning Disclosure on Illegals in the Military

[thedrifter]

02-26-2004 <br />
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A Stunning Disclosure on Illegals in the Military <br />
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By Matthew Dodd

[thedrifter]

Reaction: Why talk to an Army spokesman about how “unknowns” get into the Army, instead of talking to a Marine spokesman about how “unknowns” do not get into the Marine Corps? If the reporter recognized “unknowns” as an issue that needed to be reported on, why did he choose to focus more on the problem vice the solution? I am sorry, but I now have absolutely no respect for the incompetent U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Lastly, Lt. Col. Heath’s complacency about the potential threat posed by undocumented persons in the United States is eerily reminiscent of the mindset that helped permit the 9/11 attacks against our homeland. The article then states:



“Illegal immigrants are common in the United States - the government estimates there are more than 8 million - and institutions struggle to adapt. U.S. law bars employers from knowingly hiring the undocumented …. Yet ‘with regard to homeland security and terrorism, it’s pretty obvious that this is a critical kind of position. You should want to know the status of who is serving in the military’ [said immigration scholar Noah Pickus, director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University].”



Reaction: Yeah, I feel real secure knowing there are more than 8 million illegal aliens in my country. Well, Mr. Pickus gets my M.O.T.O. award (Master Of The Obvious) for seeing the connection between illegal aliens and homeland security. In case anyone was wondering, you do not need any advanced degrees from any university, nor should you have to consider the threat to homeland security from illegal aliens as an “emerging issue.” The article then reveals:



“U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials defer to the military in handling illegal immigrants. ‘If a military branch decides not to prosecute an individual for fraudulent entry, then they are considered eligible’ to become citizens, Homeland Security spokesman Chris Bentley said.”



Reaction: The law bars employers from knowingly hiring the undocumented, but does it allow employers to continue to keep the undocumented on their payrolls after they discover their illegal status? I learn something new every day: I did not know the military was in the decision-making process for immigration issues. When Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge talks about the need for increased cooperation among federal, state and local agencies to increase our homeland security, I do not think he had envisioned such “helpful” cooperation. The article continues:



“By May, military officials should begin new checks on the immigration status of recruits, said Gaylan Johnson, spokesman for the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command. … In the future, recruiters will conduct ‘prescreening.’ Then other federal authorities will conduct background reviews including electronic cross-checking of names and Social Security numbers with the federal Social Security administration, Johnson said. … A better system has been in the works ‘for years,’ he said. ‘It got accelerated after 9/11.’ ”



Reaction: In my opinion, the “future” Mr. Johnson described should already be history. Yeah, 9/11 really accelerated his “better system.” And to think I thought it was slow.



After reading and reflecting on the Denver Post article, I found myself exhausted – mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. The threat of illegal aliens in our country and in our military is serious, and so is the unnecessary risk of literally being stopped dead in our complacent tracks.



Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=382&rnd=701.1410426029504


Sempers,

Roger
:marine:

[namgrunt]

LTC Dodd is on target. We have an entire division of personell who don't owe allegiance to this country. They can go AWOL and fade across a border, never to face charges, since they would still be...

[greybeard]

I am also scared and disgusted to read how the U.S. military has enough “unknowns” to man a standard Marine division.

If I ever did know, I long ago forgot, besides-I wuz a winger.
I understand that mannnig requirements are dynamic and change to fit the mission, but how many Marines make up a 'standard' Marine division?