Fight for the American Dream Act
The Fight for the American Dream Act would (1) open enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces to certain noncitizens who hold an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) issued under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, and (2) modernize the pathway to U.S. citizenship for service members. Specifically, it would add DACA recipients with EADs to the pool of eligible enlistees in the Armed Forces, and it would overhaul the federal naturalization framework for military personnel by replacing the current sections that govern naturalization through military service with a new framework that allows naturalization through service in the Selected Reserve or in active-duty status. The bill also makes clerical and definitional updates to reflect these changes and to broaden the set of areas and statuses that qualify for naturalization through military service. In short, the bill aims to expand both military recruitment (by permitting DACA recipients to enlist) and the eligibility rules for foreign-born service members to become U.S. citizens, including expanding the geographic scope of eligible places of last residence or associated territories and clarifying terms related to active status and reserve service.
Key Points
- 1Adds DACA recipients with an employment authorization document (EAD) to the list of qualified enlistees in the Armed Forces under 10 U.S.C. § 504(b)(1).
- 2Renames and renumbers relevant provisions to reflect citizenship/residency exceptions for military enlistment (clerical/table-of-contents changes for clarity).
- 3Replaces the current naturalization provision (strikes section 328) and updates the naturalization path (section 329) to focus on naturalization through service in the Selected Reserve or in active-duty status.
- 4Expands the geography of eligibility for naturalization through military service to include American Samoa, Swains Island, and all freely associated States (as defined in the IDEA) rather than a narrower set of territories.
- 5Recasts the naturalization framework to align with definitions in the U.S. Code (including cross-references to active status and the definitions of “active status” and “Selected Reserve” in existing statute).