House Republican Leaders Refuse to Prevent Illegal Aliens from Enlisting in the Military and Gaining Citizenship

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thirty House Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat two amendments to the Defense Appropriations bill that would have essentially blocked illegal aliens who have benefited from President Obama's unlegislated amnesty program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), from enlisting in the military. The amendments, offered by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Steve King (R-Iowa), were defeated by the narrowest of margins, 210-211 and 207-214 respectively.

"In defeating the Gosar and King amendments, the Republican leadership has once again betrayed the voters who sent them to Washington to serve as a bulwark against President Obama's abuse of executive authority, particularly in the area of immigration," stated Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "Many of the same Washington Republicans who have called DACA and other executive amnesty programs unconstitutional have now voted to allow the illegal aliens who benefit from these unlegislated amnesties to enlist in the military and get on a fast track to citizenship."

Under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program, which as its name suggests was designed to allow a limited number of non-citizens to enlist in the military and gain citizenship if a vital national interest is being served. The defeat of the Gosar and King amendments opens the door for illegal aliens whose enlistment serves no national interest to gain full amnesty.

"Using the Defense Appropriations bill to advance narrow political goals, much less granting benefits to illegal aliens, is disgraceful. We are in the process of downsizing our armed forces and encouraging some existing personnel to leave the military. In 2015, every branch of the military met or exceeded its recruitment goals," Stein noted.

"The defeat of these two amendments is nothing more than an attempt by some in the Republican leadership to fold its hand on amnesty for illegal aliens who came here as minors, without having to face the political fallout from the American people," charged Stein.

"Thursday's action is a high profile betrayal of American voters and illustrates perfectly why immigration is the hottest issue in this campaign and distrust of the GOP is at a fevered pitch. Voters are tired of waiting for their party to rehabilitate itself and will instead retaliate in November by tossing out those who they no longer trust to properly manage the one of the most important issues of our time: immigration," Stein concluded.

ABOUT FAIR
Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

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