Blog & Updates
Joining the Fight for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
November 11, 2009 - Posted by Maurice Belanger
This post is co-authored by Nora Feely, who compiled the veterans stories included below.
Last February, in a speech addressing immigrant integration and President Obama's campaign promise to reform our broken immigration system, General Colin Powell declared his recognition of the importance of immigrants and first generation citizens in the Armed Forces.
I have seen it thousands of times in my military career: the young men and women who come to this country as immigrants and volunteer to serve in our Armed Forces, the children of immigrants who volunteer to serve in our Armed Forces. You will find no better or more loyal soldiers than these young men and women who may already be citizens or who hope to do their service to become citizens.
-General Colin Powell, February 9, 2009
While these soldiers may be loyal, some have their lives turned upside down by our broken immigration system.
This week, just in time for Veterans Day, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a bill, S.2757, that would allow parents, spouses and children of members of the Armed Forces to adjust their status and receive an immigrant visa. This will prevent the deportation of the close family members of those who are serving our country in the Armed Forces.
Absent comprehensive immigration reform, Senator Menendez, along with his co-sponsors (Senators Durbin, Feingold, Gillibrand, Inouye, and Landrieu), reasonably propose to provide relief from our broken immigration system for the people who risk their lives for this country.
Also this week, the Immigration Policy Center released a report on immigrants in the military since September 11, 2001. The report notes that there are more than 114,000 immigrants currently serving in the military. It discusses the history of immigrants in the military, with special attention to recent changes in the law to enhance the integration of immigrant service men and women since September 11, 2001. The report also draws attention to the fact that Congress has still not passed the DREAM Act, which would provide legal status to undocumented young people who have gone through our school system and seek to go on to college or to serve in the military.
As General Powell noted, we are fortunate to be loyally served by immigrants and the children of immigrants who give their time, and sometimes their lives, to defend our country. Many subsequently go on to a life of public service. Below are the stories of a few of the brave men and women General Powell spoke of. Having fought for our country in the Armed Forces, they now have joined the fight for comprehensive immigration reform.
Ahmed R. Ali's family immigrated to the United States in 1976 from Bangladesh. They fled their war-torn nation in search of stability and greater opportunities in America. Ahmed's parents worked odd jobs and moved around for years before his family settled in Bethesda, Maryland, where his father was able to obtain further education in engineering. Ahmed held a full-time job in order to attend college on a part-time basis before deciding to join the military. He chose this path in order to expand his educational opportunities and serve his adopted country. After graduating at the top of his class from Boot Camp, Ahmed requested the most technical job available and entered advanced training to become an Aegis SPRY radar specialist in the Navy. After graduating from training with high marks, he served six years of active duty and deployed three times to serve in the Middle East.
Since leaving active duty, Ahmed has been in the military reserves working for the U.S. government and for several defense contracting firms. In 2005, he started his own IT & Engineering firm that he built into a successful and well respected company with a multimillion dollar revenue. His clients include the Defense Information Systems Agency, Air Force, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, Veterans Affairs, and the IRS among others. Ahmed has accomplished the American dream, reaching success through hard work and dedication. Despite all of his business and financial success, Ahmed says that the accomplishment he is most proud of is having served in a United States uniform. He believes that immigrants are the backbone of our country whose skills, spirit, and contributions should be welcomed by all Americans through comprehensive immigration reform.
Domingo Berlanga grew up in Bryan, Texas, during a time when restaurants had signs that read "No dogs or Mexicans Allowed." He was a farm-worker until he volunteered for service during the Korean War. After being stationed in various locations throughout the country, Mr. Berlanga was deployed to Alaska where his unit was the first line of defense against a Soviet invasion of our Northern border. When Mr. Berlanga left the military, he became an active member of his community as an active member of the United Autoworkers Local 598 in Flint, Michigan. He discovered that many Latino veterans were not receiving the benefits they earned under the GI Bill. Remembering the discrimination he faced in Texas, Mr. Berlanga became a founding member of a chapter of the American GI Forum, an organization dedicated to ensuring that all Hispanic and Latino veterans receive the benefits they earned. Continuing to help those in need, Mr. Berlanga became a co-founder of a community center that provides computers for the unemployed, facilitating their search for work. Today, at the age of 80, he is the post commander of the American GI Forum in Flint and is working to establish a referral clinic for non-English speakers.
Mr. Berlanga has dedicated his life to equality and justice and has worked constantly to give back to this country and its communities. He also comes from a family dedicated to our military -- his brothers are veterans of World War II and Korea, two of his sons fought in Vietnam, and his third is a National Guard member. This is a family the United States is lucky to count as citizens. Yet Mr. Berlanga is bothered by the unfair treatment some families of our men and women in uniform receive under our current immigration system. Without comprehensive immigration reform, our country will miss out on important contributions offered by people like Mr. Berlanga.
Ivan Silva, born to a Mexican mother and Portuguese father, is the child of first generation immigrants. Hoping to advance his education and fight the effects of drugs in local communities, Ivan joined the military in 2000 and served in the US Navy Special Forces as a Search and Rescue Team Coordinator. He served one tour in South America as an anti-drug smuggling operative where he was responsible for confiscating 4.5 cubic tons of cocaine. He was later deployed to two tours in Iraq. After serving his country for five years, Ivan came home to his wife, a second-generation immigrant, and his two children. He finished his Bachelors degree and will soon hold a MBA.
For Ivan, serving in the military was an extremely significant milestone in his life, giving him a deeper connection to his country. Ivan sees the United States as a nation of immigrants and believes it should remain that way. He is a strong supporter for comprehensive immigration reform, and believes it would level the playing field for those driven to succeed by providing the opportunity for education and training with hard work.
Saif Khan and his family moved to the United States from India in 1993, seeking greater educational and professional opportunities for his family. Saif decided that he wanted to give back to the country that had given him so much, and between high school and the start of college at Virginia Commonwealth University, he joined the Army National Guard. He served in the Guard from 2000-2006. His unit was mobilized for several State and National Emergencies and in 2003 they received orders to serve in Iraq. Years before, Saif's family applied for citizenship but his family's request was held up in the backlog. As he prepared to deploy Saif became increasingly concerned about missing his scheduled immigration interview while he was in Iraq. Saif explained his predicament to his Commander who got in touch with the Department of Justice, which expedited his interview, and Saif was naturalized on the tarmac just before being deployed.
While serving overseas, Saif first spent time in Kuwait. Many of the contract workers serving the base were from India and Saif's background proved useful as he became the ad hoc translator so the workers could communicate with the soldiers. Saif's unit moved to Mosul where they were assigned to provide security for the Explosive Ordinance Team as it defused roadside bombs. Saif returned from Iraq in 2005 and reentered college at Virginia Commonwealth University. Although his original major was biology, Saif was so fascinated by the treatment of troops and veterans that he switched his major to political science. He has since interned with Senator Jim Webb's Richmond office, performing veterans outreach and he has worked organizing veterans. Saif feels that military service was a way for him to pay back his country for the rights and freedoms he has been given in the U.S. Despite the risks, it has made him proud to serve. He also feels that some ignore him because he is an immigrant, but when he tells people he served in the military, in combat, then he becomes the ultimate citizen in their eyes.
From these experiences, Saif strongly supports giving others the opportunities he has received. While he was serving in Iraq, Saif's two sisters became citizens. During the ceremony, his mother wore a button that read, "My son is serving in Iraq." These are the kinds of families we can welcome into our nation through comprehensive immigration reform.
