1.30.2013

Immigration Status Dashes Valley Man’s Military Dreams

Lane Powell Counsel to the Firm Margaret Stock was quoted in The Fresno Bee in a January 25 article titled “Immigration Status Dashes Valley Man’s Military Dreams.” The article discussed the confusion and difficulties associated with military enlistment policies for immigrants. Stock commented on the benefits of recruiting immigrants, as well as military jobs and citizenship.

The military would probably benefit in the long run by allowing people like Reyes-Morales to enlist, because obesity and other problems have reduced the number of potential recruits, said Margaret Stock, a lawyer and former Army officer who wrote the book “Immigration and The Military.”

“I think the ‘deferred action’ people are a good pool of recruits and they have been pre-screened by the DHS,” Stock said.

Getting into the military is usually a fast track to citizenship, Stock noted. Because most military jobs require citizenship, it’s usually granted fairly quickly, she said.

Read the article.