The Pentagon is revisiting a policy at present that has to do with spouses and children that are in the United States illegally. Recruitment handbooks have a policy typed inside which requires that all military members only be married to legal citizens or permanent residents in the United States. In most cases, immigrants who marry citizens can receive permanent residency through their marriage. Yet if something bars an immigrant from obtaining permanent residency, this could mean denial into the armed forces for the spouse.

One woman who enlisted in the armed forces reports to the Wall Street Journal that just as she was heading to boot camp, a recruiter presented her with an absurd option. The recruiter asked her if she would divorce her husband. He explained that if she wanted to join the Marines, she sould have to do so. This was because the woman's husband was an illegal immigrant. The 22-year-old was shocked when the recruiter informed her that the armed forces would be willing to pay for her divorce. The woman immediately pulled out of the Marines and returned home to her husband, refusing to sever her marriage for a career.

This woman is not the only person who has been denied the right to enlist because of marriage to an illegal immigrant. The Department of Defense has recently agreed to review the policy that bars these individuals from joining the military because of the many complaints that they have received about the policy recently, The police says that if a spouse or a child of the military member is illegal, that person cannot enlist.

Unfortunately, recruiters are not consistent in maintaining the policy. Some people are not required to leave the military when it is discovered that they are married to illegal immigrants. The Department of Defense agrees that Americans should not be denied the right to serve their country just because of their marriages. The Department of Defense also agrees that they should be protecting families of military members from deportation.

Because the policy is not always followed, there is confusion at the federal level as for as how the armed forces should deal with immigration issues. Some troops have dependents who are illegal immigrants, and the Department of Homeland Security formalized a policy last month that enables relatives to remain in the country and apply for legal residency. This is called the "parole in place policy" and was designed to reduce the uncertainty that some active-duty military members face because of the immigration status of their family members.

If immigrants are willing to make the effort to apply for permanent residency, they may be able to assist their military members and help to avoid confusion and difficulty. The Marine Corps faithfully maintains the immigrant spouse recruitment requirement, but other branches, such as the Air Force, do not have any regulations against military spouses.

The armed forces don't keep track of how many individuals are denied the chance to enlist because of this policy, but there is a chance that a significant number of individuals are denied access under this policy. One soldier reports that he was promoted, but his promotion was suddenly placed on hold when the police discovered that he had married an illegal immigrant. The man hired an attorney to help his wife get legal residency. If you are working through a military and immigrant situation, then it is in your best interests to hire a hardworking and dedicated immigration lawyer to assist you in your case. Don't hesitate to contact the firm today to learn more!