Josh Machuta, Ben Carney, Justin Doepker, Nick Sponseller, Grant Hegenauer

Mr. Gross
English 12A
13 February 2015
Enlist Act
A back door to instant citizenship, The Enlist Act. With millions of illegal immigrants
making their way across the border, what is to be done with the illegal minors? Illegal minor
immigrants are called DREAMers. DREAMer stands for: development, relief and education
for alien minors (Who). The United States government must allow DREAMers to join the
military in exchange for full granted citizenship. If the immigrant has a clean record and
complies to a drug test along with meeting all other military regulations, he/she must be allowed
to join. Adult immigrants who immigrated illegally to America are not eligible. Only immigrants
who were born or were brought here as a minor. Certain felony-like restrictions will be placed on
these immigrants, but only for a 5 year time period.
A smart and effective way to deal with immigrants that would benefit our country and
keep order would be to allow immigrants a chance to serve in the military, but only if they have a
clean record and pass a drug test in exchange for citizenship. Many people from other countries
are not as fortunate as us and do not have the same opportunities, so they decide to illegally get
into our country and find a job. While the United States would love to help everyone and give
everyone jobs for free, it is not realistic and the illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from
people who are legal American citizens. This is why the military would be a good option for the
immigrants. There may not be an unlimited supply of jobs, but the military could always use
more people to serve. Immigrants who do decide to serve in the military for citizenship would

not only help our military out, but also show they do want to be a true American citizen. The
United States would have to be very cautious about the immigrants trying to enlist in order to
keep the military safe, which is why the background checks and drug tests are so important.
Allowing immigrants to join the military for citizenship would benefit everyone.
There is an estimated 1.4 million immigrants who might fit into the category of a
DREAMer (Who). Either now or when they are older. Some of the requirements are: had
entered the United States before age 16, have been in the United States for the past five years;
have not been convicted of a significant misdemeanor, or three other misdemeanors, or any
felonies. And are currently in school, earned a GED or graduated from a high school (Who).
Illegal immigrants are going to cross the border whether they can receive full citizenship or not,
so if they meet the requirements and they want to prove to Americans that they want a successful
life as a law abiding American, then this would be a good alternative for them to gain citizenship.
Many law abiding citizens have a problem with the idea that illegal immigrants are
allowed to get a free pass to citizenship after being in the country illegally. However, as a
compromise, after gaining citizenship, the now-legal immigrants need to have certain restrictions
placed on them. These restrictions should be similar to those of a convicted felon. For example,
convicted felons do not have the right to own a firearm (How). Simply just owning ammunition
can cause problems for the individual. Also, they are not given voting rights and are not allowed
to participate in a jury (How). These three restrictions need to be placed on immigrants who
gained their citizenship through joining the military, but only for a 5 year time period. After that,
all restrictions will be dropped. This would allow for a fair way for illegal immigrants to gain
citizenship.

The United States government must allow DREAMers to join the military in exchange
for full granted citizenship. The immigrants must have a clean record, pass a drug test, and meet
all other military regulations. Only immigrants who were born/were brought here as a minor are
eligible. Certain felony-like restrictions will be placed on these immigrants, but only for a 5 year
time period. The military could always use more active serving members and currently an
estimated 1.4 million dreamers qualify (Who).

Works Cited
"Advertisement." Hidden Immigration Benefits for Military Personnel. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.americanbar.org/publications/gp_solo/2013/september_october/hidden_immi
gration_benefits_military_personnel.html>.
"The ENLIST Act: A Back Door to Instant Citizenship." The Heritage Foundation. Web. 15 Feb.
2015. <http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/05/the-enlist-act-a-back-door-toinstant-citizenship>.
"How A Felony Conviction Impacts Your Life And Freedom - Criminal Defense Attorney
Richmond Va." Criminal Defense Attorney Richmond Va. 11 July 2013. Web. 15 Feb.

2015. <http://www.criminaldefenseattorneyrichmondva.com/how-a-felony-convictionimpacts-your-life-and-freedom/>.
"Should Illegal Immigrants Be Granted Legal Citizenship?" Should Illegal Immigrants Be
Granted Legal Citizenship? Web. 15 Feb. 2015. <http://www.debate.org/opinions/shouldillegal-immigrants-be-granted-legal-citizenship>.
"Who and Where the DREAMers Are." Who and Where the DREAMers Are. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/just-facts/who-and-where-dreamers-are>.