Ironic tribute to MAVNI on Memorial Day
A timely story at the end of AAPI Heritage Month and on Memorial Day highlights the federal government’s shifting posture toward immigrants who serve in the military. At an annual AAPI heritage month event, Fort Hamilton’s Command Sgt. Maj. Michael McCabe said “We’re paying tribute to all those generations of Asians and Pacific Islanders that have enriched America’s history,” said McCabe. “They are instrumental in our future successes, and we are honoring them for their sacrifices, both military and civilian service.”
He introduces as the guest speaker for the observance was Capt. Sungjae Kim, New York City Recruiting Battalion Queens Company commander, who discussed this year’s theme, “Advancing Leaders Through Purpose-Driven Service.” In his remarks, Capt. Kim speaks about serving two tours in Korea and one combat tour in Afghanistan with 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg before taking his current company command position in New York. He spoke positively of the experience and how much the army valued diversity:
“When I joined the Army, I met Soldiers who would say that they’ve never met or spoken to an Asian person, or never seen an Asian in my size, and so on. That was a culture shock for me. I began to learn why the Army emphasizes diversity and equal opportunity so much, and how we all learn from each other with different backgrounds and cultural experience. As a company commander, it’s so important to know and understand my formations. Queens Company has more than 10 AAPI Soldiers, more than 10 Hispanic Soldiers, and about 10 Black Soldiers from Jamaica, Nigeria, and so on. That makes up more than 80 percent of my formation. Future Soldiers that we recruit in the Queens area, three out of four are minorities. The Army is only getting more diverse, as is our society.
I love being in the Army…it changed my life completely. Wherever I go, I do not consider myself just as an Army officer, but I remind myself that I represent Korean American Army Officer or Asian American Army Soldier. I have to set an example for everyone who served before me and after me. Also, I would like to thank everyone who served before me and is serving now, for setting the conditions and letting us serve in this environment where diversity is valued.”
Prior reporting from Miriam Jones at the WSJ reveals that Captain Sungjae Kim was once an immigrant struggling to make a living on his temporary visa when he stumbled upon a Korean-language Web site that described a short cut to getting U.S. citizenship. The program was called MAVNI, and it was created to entice military service from temporary immigrants who speak strategically important languages such as Arabic, Farsi and Korean in exchange for skipping the decade-long process of securing a a green card and then citizenship for nearly immediate eligiblity for citizenship. The website was created by another Korean immigrant, James Hwang, and it explained in minute detail the steps required to qualify. As Jones explains, like Captain Kim, so many Koreans applied to serve that the Army did not need them all at the time.
Since then, the Department of Defense has effectively ended the program and heightened vetting and background checks for Asian immigrants seeking to enlist who are considered “national security threats.” As a result, the immigration attorney and Lt. Colonel who created the program, Margaret Stock, remarked on the irony of lauding a military officer who would not longer be eligible to serve or obtain citizenship… let alone recruit others like him with family who have served in South Korea or have other foreign ties. More resources about the changing requirements for background checks and their effects on immigrants are collected by AILA here and described in an article I wrote for the Denver Law Review.
MHC (h/t Margaret Stock)