U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) reintroduced legislation on Tuesday that would enable qualified undocumented immigrants to earn legal status through military service.
The Encourage New Legalized Immigrants to Start Training (ENLIST) Act, H.R. 60, would provide a path to legal status through military service for qualified undocumented immigrants who were brought into the United States by their parents.
“There is no greater act of patriotism than serving your country in the armed forces, and my ENLIST Act would allow young immigrants to earn legal status in order to stay in the country they love,” Denham said. “Immigrants have honorably served alongside us in the armed forces for decades, and this would be a positive step forward for our nation as we seek a collective solution to this issue.”
Under H.R. 60, only undocumented immigrants who were brought into the country as children before 2012 would be able to earn legal status through military service.
Additionally, qualified undocumented immigrants would have to serve the full term of their enlistment contracts to receive legal permanent resident status, and they could not earn legal status if they were dishonorably discharged.
While the measure would allow undocumented young people to apply for military service, the approval of those enlistment applications would be at the sole discretion of the different military branches.
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed support for the concept behind Denham’s measure.