Immigrant PhD Candidate Rocked by Sudden U.S. Army Discharge

[murielm99]

San Francisco-Growing up in Eastern China, Panshu Zhao fell in love with Amerce. He read the Bible his parents gave him, watched Hollywood movies and studied the ideals of democracy. He jumped at the chance to attend graduate school at Texas A&M University.

In 2016, Zhao enlisted in the U.S. Army as part of a special recruitment program offering immigrants in the country legally a path to citizenship.

snip

Now he is one of the dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists struggling with abrupt often unexplained military discharges and canceled contracts. They traded being willing to risk their lives for the prospect of U.S citizenship, a timeworn exchange that's drawn linguists, medical specialists and thousand of other immigrants to the military since the Revolutionary War.

[murielm99]

1. I am having trouble posting the link to this story.

I am sorry.

Here it is:

http://www.tampabay.com/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge-ap_national2840d843a42140879f37f2d0927f064b

[FuzzyRabbit]

2. Here's a link.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/immigrant-army-discharge-panshu-zhao/

[murielm99]

3. Thanks.

I got it to work, finally.

[Lee-Lee]

4. When you enlist for a job that requires a security clearance, then can't get one, that happens

It’s a known problem with the MANVI program that they are seeking people with language skills and opening it up to classes of non-citizens not usually eligible for enlistment.

All those jobs that require language skills are ones that also require a security clearance.

Obtaining a security cleanrace when you are a non-citizen is a whole lot harder.

They were told when they signed up the program was entirely contingent upon them being able to successfully get a security clearance in the required time frame.

Many have not been able to, and thus are no eligible under the terms of the program. So their contracts are canceled and they do not ship to Basic Training.

[bitterross]

5. We have become a nation that no longer honors its promises/commitments

45 has set the tone from the top. The USA can no longer be trusted to uphold its end of any agreement.

Why would anyone go to the negotiating table with us now?