In this Real Clear Defense op-ed, military veteran Robin Boggs denounces Rep. Jeff Denham’s (R-Calif.) ENLIST Act saying it would not improve military readiness. The ENLIST Act would give illegal aliens who meet certain requirements Legal Permanent Residence (LPR) status if they join the military. The amnesty bill currently has over 200 sponsors and several have tried to sneak the bill into the defense budget.
Robin Boggs is a member of the American Legion and a veteran of six combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Djibouti as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Marine Corps.
Here are a few excerpts from the op-ed:
The ENLIST Act would not improve military readiness. In fact, it would lower morale by attracting recruits who may not truly want to serve. How many illegal immigrants would enlist because they see it as a bulwark against possible deportation, not because they are passionate about defending America?
The ENLIST Act would upend the military's high standards by admitting foreigners whose aren’t even legal residents of the United States. That is why nine generals and seven admirals denounced the bill in 2014. The American Legion also opposed the bill, saying that defense should "stand alone," unsaddled by the burden of "contentious and complex" immigration policies.
The ENLIST Act is an amnesty bill masquerading as a military-readiness bill. Without such a guise, amnesty would lack the political support to pass Congress. Americans want to enforce current immigration law and enact a more merit-based admissions system before addressing what to do with people here illegally. Shouldn’t those also be Congress’ priorities?
You can read the full op-ed at Real Clear Defense.
