President. I rise today to introduce legislation which will prevent the serviceconnected injuries and disabilities of nonU.S. citizen veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces from being held against them if they subsequently seek naturalization or admission to the United States. The Congress has recognized that noncitizen soldiers have forged a bond with our country. We have therefore made it easier for these individuals to qualify for future citizenship by allowing them to apply for naturalization upon completion of 3 years of active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. However. I understand that there are circumstances that may defeat congressional intent and erect an unnecessary barrier between these veterans and the United States. For example. a servicemember who is injured or disabled while on active duty may be given a medical discharge prior to the scheduled completion of his or her duty. If such a medical discharge were given prior to completion of 3 years of active duty. a noncitizen veteran would be denied qualification for naturalization because of a disability or injury that was incurred while in our Nations service. Similarly. the Immigration and Naturalization Service has the authority to deny entry to our country on the basis of health or disability. This authority is based on the sound principle that entry into the United States is solely at our discretion and that. as a nation. we should not place ourselves in a position of having to care for or support the worlds ill or disabled. However. applied on a blanket basis. this principle would also apply to noncitizen veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with serviceconnected disabilities which were incurred while in our service. I believe that barring entry into the United States under these circumstances is not consistent with the principles which guide this great Nation.
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naturalization Immigration Naturalization noncitizen