U.S. Army Reserve soldiers are suing the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security for stalling their applications for American citizenship, putting them at risk of deportation.
The plaintiffs joined the military through a program promising a path to naturalization. “Each plaintiff-soldier has kept his/her end of the bargain,” their lawsuit claims.
The 10 reservists who filed the lawsuit were recruited to the Army through the Pentagon’s Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, known as MAVNI, which gives fast-track citizenship to legal immigrants who have critical language skills or cultural skills.
In June, the Washington Post reported on a Pentagon proposal to shutter the MAVNI program, which has naturalized 10,400 troops since 2009. The memo stems from Defense Department concerns that infiltrators could exploit the program.
Last year, under the Obama administration, the Pentagon tightened screening procedures for MAVNI recruits. About 1,000 of them have had their visas expire while awaiting travel orders, placing them at risk for deportation.
The lawsuit, first reported by McClatchy, charges the recruits have “suffered irreparable harm,” as they face uncertainty about this job status.
According to McClatchy, the lawsuit was originally filed in late May, but last month a D.C. federal judge ordered that it be refiled to include additional legal claims.
It is one of several lawsuits filed by MAVNI recruits in recent months.
