America has lengthy stood as a beacon of hope and alternative, and few embody that spirit right here at house and overseas greater than the members of our Armed Forces and our veterans. All through his Administration, President Obama has sought to honor the courageous women and men who’ve served this nation. This consists of foreign-born residents and naturalized residents who’re service members and veterans.
Simply final month, on Veterans Day, the President spoke of the vital function of our service member establishments:
“It’s the instance of the single-most numerous establishment in our nation – troopers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and coastguardsmen who signify each nook of our nation, each shade of humanity, immigrant and native-born, Christian, Muslim, Jew, and nonbeliever alike, all cast into widespread service.”
That’s the reason at present, the President established a new federal Interagency Working Group charged with enhancing entry to companies and advantages for brand new American service members, veterans, and their households.
Like different immigrants and refugees, these new People are a supply of our nation’s energy and exemplify their dedication to the previous, current, and way forward for our nation. These courageous new People have taken the extraordinary step of reply the decision of obligation to help and defend our nation—some even earlier than turning into Americans. Like different immigrants and refugees, these new People are a supply of our nation’s energy and exemplify their dedication to the previous, current, and way forward for our nation.
Over the previous decade, the Departments of Protection, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Safety have strengthened partnerships to offer companies and alternatives to service members, veterans, and their households interacting with the U.S. immigration system. Certainly, since 2001, greater than 110,000 service members have been naturalized and lots of have been assisted within the course of by means of partnerships such because the “Naturalization at Fundamental Coaching Initiative,” which supplies non-citizen enlistees the chance to naturalize throughout primary coaching. Regardless of these efforts, service members, veterans, and their households too typically nonetheless face boundaries to accessing immigration advantages and different help for which they might be eligible.
Over the previous 8 years, President Obama has spoken at a number of naturalization ceremonies for service members and their households, together with two ceremonies held on the White Home on the Fourth of July. These ceremonies have offered the President with the chance to be among the many first to welcome these latest People, every with their very own path.
“A few of you got here right here as youngsters, introduced by mother and father who dreamed of supplying you with the alternatives that they’d by no means had. Others of you got here as adults, discovering your approach by means of a brand new nation and a brand new tradition and a brand new language. All of you probably did one thing profound: You selected to serve. You placed on the uniform of a rustic that was not but absolutely your individual. In a time of battle, a few of you deployed into hurt’s approach. You displayed the values that we have a good time each Fourth of July — obligation, duty, and patriotism.”
It’s our hope that by means of this Presidential Memorandum and the brand new Interagency Working Group it establishes, new American service members, veterans and their households will likely be higher in a position to obtain the companies and advantages to which they’re entitled and be capable of reside their lives to the fullest—simply as they deserve.
Read the Presidential Memorandum here.
