The United States military is now allowing undocumented immigrants to join its ranks.
The Department of Defense unveiled Thursday afternoon that it would allow a small number of immigrants with “high-demand skills”, “rare foreign language expertise” and “specialized health care training” to sign up.
The new rules will expand an existing program, known as Military Accessions in the National Interest, or MAVNI.
Only undocumented immigrants without a proper visa, who came to the U.S. with their parents before the age of 16, may be recruited.
More specifically, they must be approved under a 2012 Obama administration policy known as Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, or DACA.
The new Pentagon policy may be the first phase of a broader government-wide effort to ease pressure on immigrants and create new paths to citizenship.
