Immigration Law

Troops At Border Become Citizens

As reported today by the Associated Press, six National Guard troops serving at the Mexican border became U.S. citizens Friday. The six members of the Texas National Guard were deployed to aid the U.S. Border Patrol after President Bush called for 6,000 troops on the southwest border in May, and are believed to be the first to become eligible for expedited citizenship because of their work helping to guard the U.S.-Mexico border.

Nearly 25,000 military service members on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, have taken advantage of an executive order signed in 2002 allowing active military personnel deployed for anti-terrorism duties to immediately apply for citizenship, skipping the previous one-year service period. Typically, noncitizens must wait three to five years before applying for citizenship.

From Immigration-Law-Answers-Blog posted 2007-03-03.