The 1952 law has allowed some illegal immigrants in the military to become U.S. citizens, though how many isn't clear. And citizenship isn't guaranteed: It can turn on decisions made deep within the military bureaucracy.
Pfc. Juan Escalante of Seattle joined the Army using a fake green card and fought in Iraq. In 2003, Pfc. Escalante confessed that he had used fraudulent documents. The military allowed him to stay, and the U.S. gave him citizenship.
In her four years in the Air Force, Liliana Plata of Los Angeles won medals and promotions. In 2008, she was discharged after the military discovered she used another person's identity to enlist. In December 2010, U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services denied her application for citizenship. A spokeswoman said the agency cannot comment on individual cases.
Between September 2001 and September 2010, 64,643 members of the armed forces were naturalized by the agency. The agency doesn't track how many came to the U.S. illegally.
The military supports the Dream Act, and military officials say more stringent scrutiny of identification has made it difficult for illegal immigrants to enlist in recent years. "We don't knowingly allow illegal immigrants to enlist," said George Wright, an Army spokesman.
But immigration attorneys say the practice is widespread, in part because of the lure of citizenship.
"Fraud enlistments are pretty common, and the government can deal with this in many ways. If they don't want to discharge, there are a dozen ways to look the other way," said John Quinn, an immigration attorney in San Diego who was previously involved in processing fraud enlistments for the Marines.
