Obama Administration Has Enlisted 81 Illegal Immigrants Granted Executive Amnesty

The Army confirms that the Obama administration has already enlisted dozens of illegal immigrants granted executive amnesty.

An Army spokesman explained to Breitbart News that since January, the Army has enlisted 81 illegal immigrants granted executive amnesty via President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program.

“These individuals have signed enlistment contracts, and are currently undergoing the process to determine their eligibility to enlist – which includes a thorough background check,” spokesman Wayne Hall wrote in an email.

The number, 81, is greater than an earlier report which placed the number of DACA enlistees at 46.

Hall further pointed to Title 10 Section 504 in the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act, regarding criteria for enlistment eligibility.

       Title 10, United States Code, section 504, as amended in the 2006 NDAA states that to be eligible for enlistment in the Armed Forces of the United States, an individual must be:

       * A national of the United States (includes citizens).

       * An alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence (green card). 

       * A person described in section 341 of one the following compacts:

       * The Compact of Free Association between the Federated States of Micronesia and the United States.

       * The Compact of Free Association between the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the United States.

       * The Compact of Free Association between Palau and the United States.

       * However, the Secretary concerned may authorize exceptions when the Secretary determines that such enlistment is vital to the national interest.

The Pentagon announced in September that it would be opening the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MANVI) program — which allows certain foreign nationals with specific medical or language skills to enlist and be put on a path to expedited citizenship — up to DACA recipients.

The revelation comes as Congress is about to take up a defense authorization bill (NDAA) that has an amendment urging the Secretary of Defense to declare DACA recipients as “vital” to the nation’s security interests and make them eligible for military service.

The push to allow DACA recipients enlist has been met with pushback. This week 25 Republicans urged the House Rules Committee to strip the DACA language from the NDAA, warning it could imperil the bill, as three times already the House has voted to defund DACA.

“Especially in this time of increased terrorism, our national security should not be threatened by allowing such controversial language on a program we have rejected three times as unconstitutional,” the 25 wrote, led by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL).