U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship
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Military officials want to attract immigrants who have native knowledge of languages and cultures that the Pentagon considers strategically vital. The program will also be open to students and refugees.

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The Army’s one-year pilot program will begin in New York City[b] to recruit about 550 temporary immigrants [/b] who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible. The Army’s program will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruiting will start after Department of Homeland Security officials update an immigration rule in coming days.

Pentagon officials expect that the lure of accelerated citizenship will be powerful. Under a statute invoked in 2002 by the Bush administration, immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.

For foreigners who come to work or study in the United States on temporary visas, the path to citizenship is uncertain and at best agonizingly long, often lasting more than a decade. The military also waives naturalization fees, which are at least $675.

To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years a[/b]nd have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.

Language experts will have to serve four years of active duty, and health care professionals will serve three years of active duty or six years in the Reserves. If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.

Commenters who vented their suspicions of the program on Military.com said it could be used by terrorists to penetrate the armed forces.

At a street corner recruiting station in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, Staff Sgt. Alejandro Campos of the Army said he had already fielded calls from temporary immigrants who heard rumors about the program.

[b]“We’re going to give people the opportunity to be part of the United States who are dying to be part of this country and they weren’t able to before now,” said Sergeant Campos, who was born in the Dominican Republic and became a United States citizen after he joined the Army.

Sergeant Campos said he saw how useful it was to have soldiers who were native Arabic speakers during two tours in Iraq.

“The first time around we didn’t have soldier translators,” he said. “But now that we have soldiers as translators, we are able to trust more, we are able to accomplish the mission with more accuracy.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/us/15immig.html?_r=2&pagewanted=2&hp

see now
If davidylan could speak his mom's language he would have been on a path to quick citizenship

make I go ooo as far as I wont go 2 war, lol

Hotstepper:

make I go ooo as far as I wont go 2 war, lol

I need to spread this news around in our next village meeting.
But wait o
they may send you to Iraq
at least you get citizenship even if na one eye and one leg you get

 

that one? please ooo

 

he no go fit carry AK. i wonder why they not looking for Hausa

Don't be deceived New York Times is just trying to sell their paper.It must be rumors because we have not had anything about this .I am talking from the point view of an insider who is in the system but,if it does happen I hope some naijas do take advantage of it and act as soon as their can but as of now their is no such thing going on in the US Army.If you join you are on your own and you must have a Green Card to join the military and also you will have to take ASVAB it does not matter the branch you want to join which means study your ASVAB guide and be ready to use the computer.

Looks like the US has designs on Nigeria

do you think the oyinbos are running away from the Hausa? if so why? is it because of their religious background? what abt their fighing zeal, why ignore it, ? ummm many question right? let's see your take.

kayusa, it might be true. i understand if you can speak any other tribe you can get pay for it. not sure of nigeria lang though.

Sergeant Campos said he saw how useful it was to have soldiers who were native Arabic speakers during two tours in Iraq.

perhaps intelligence indicates WMD in abia state

If davidylan could speak his mom's language he would have been on a path to quick citizenship

i think we would all put in a word for him - let him go to iraq to deal with - as he calls them - the devil's children

may be the hausas are conniving with Americans to exterminate the igbos by sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan.

OsunAmazon:

may be the hausas are conniving with Americans to exterminate the igbos by sending them to Iraq and Afghanistan.

LOL!

do you think the oyinbos are running away from the Hausa? if so why? is it because of their religious background? what abt their fighing zeal, why ignore it, ? ummm many question right? let's see your take.

Don't mind them. Oyibos don't understand Nigeria. They only mentioned igbo there because it's the language spoken in Nollywood.

OsunAmazon:

Don't mind them. Oyibos don't understand Nigeria. They only mentioned igbo there because it's the language spoken in Nollywood.

I won't be surprised if those igbos smuggle the AK47s and M16s and sell them to the terrorists!

*Hauwa*:



he no go fit carry AK. i wonder why they not looking for Hausa

hausas!!! do you think they are preparing for a jihad? wishful thinking!

Does anybody know the mode of application? I'm an original Igbo boy and want to be recruited.

Raymond88:

I won't be surprised if those igbos smuggle the AK47s and M16s and sell them to the terrorists!

Chineke po gi okun, onye iberibe anoufia. Ewu. tufiakwa. I've known you to be a troublemaker on this forum and may thunder fire your mouth.

Raymond88:

I won't be surprised if those igbos smuggle the AK47s and M16s and sell them to the terrorists!

yes.

PurestBoy:


Chineke po gi okun, onye iberibe anoufia. Ewu. tufiakwa. I've known you to be a troublemaker on this forum and may thunder fire your mouth.

@ PurestBoy
it is the gospel truth, nothing but the truth. the igbos can do anything for the sake of money. too much guile.

@ PurestBoy
it is the gospel truth, nothing but the truth. the igbos can do anything for the sake of money. too much guile.
[quote][/quote]

I dont think so.D pentagon is perhaps thinking about dat purely on
strategic grounds.

Seriously, why are they looking for Igbos?

Or are some of our nna brethren now fighting for Osama and supporting Ahmadinejad?

OsunAmazon:

Don't mind them. Oyibos don't understand Nigeria. They only mentioned igbo there because it's the language spoken in Nollywood.

This is even more serious - is the US saying that Al-Qaeda is trying to learn JUJU from Nollywood or are they giving up on conventional weapons and want to use Okija Shrine Juju to catch Osama?

thetruth90:

yes.  

@ PurestBoy
it is the gospel truth, nothing but the truth. the igbos can do anything for the sake of money. too much guile.

You gats be mad. Ibos workhard for their money unlike the lazy yorubas that beg for money with scopes everywhere on the street

I can only think of one reason why they may want the Igbos, the economic crunch has caught up with the US Army too.

I no fit shout. If dem want igbo, no wahala but, Dem know say nothing wey Ibo man no go do for money, No vex   I prefer make I dey naija dey chop carrot than make I go afganistan make terrorist come kill me, Afterall e go better. . When army form dey for naija nobody collect, dem want go do soldier for abroad, International soldier.

PurestBoy:

You gats be mad. Ibos workhard for their money unlike the lazy yorubas that beg for money with scopes everywhere on the street

was this necessary  

youngies:

I can only think of one reason why they may want the Igbos, the economic crunch has caught up with the US Army too.

rofl  

ye paripa

kai curroption go make them chase all the naija wey dem recruit commot sharp sharp.

Davidylan abeg go take form sharp sharp dis na opportunity for you to go kill the devils in Afhanistan and iraq o. If u really get liver make u go, carry ur leg enter where yawa dey gas. then we go all know say u be real man!!!

PurestBoy:

You gats be mad. Ibos workhard for their money unlike the lazy yorubas that beg for money with scopes everywhere on the street

ifyalways:

was this necessary

@ ifyalways
thanks jare. it is so easy to know the likes of PurestBoy who lacks basic home training.

thetruth90:

@ ifyalways
thanks jare. it is so easy to know the likes of PurestBoy who lacks basic home training.

Me thinks that PurestBoy is simply displaying what he was taught at home and school by both parents and teachers respectively. You can't give what you don't have

why the ibos, i wonder, ooo, this us stuff dey wan take all the ibo commot for nigeria and take them to afghanistan and iraqi mak osama kill dem finish. dem bi the only person wey dey cause for trouble for nigeria. lest i forget make dem put the south south too so that nigeria go fit better.

I don't trust US system because they always have something behind everything they are doing. In case it is for a good purpose, then that is a good development towards the Ibos, but the Ibos are found of money. I hope that the love of money will not overshadow them.

So many tribalists and biased people on nairaland!

debosky:



So many tribalists and biased people on nairaland!

How?