Speech #1090098179

Kendell Frederick achieved in death in a matter of minutes what he had so long fought to obtain in life. his U.S. citizenship. Tragically. he never enjoyed the privileges of U.S. citizenshiphe would never cast a vote to determine those who govern. nor would he ever know the comfort of being fully embraced as an American by the very Nation he defended to his last breathe. Fortunately. today we have an opportunity to honor the ultimate sacrifice of Specialist Frederick by doing what is right for the approximately 40.000 noncitizens who are serving on active duty in the U.S. military. including 3.200 brave men and women who are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2002. President Bush signed an executive order that provides immediate eligibility for naturalization to activeduty members of the U.S. military during a period of military hostility. bypassing the waiting period that otherwise would apply to them. This was an important stepbut we owe our brave soldiers more. In clear and plain terms. those who are prepared to sacrifice and die for this country deserve a more efficient. common sense naturalization process that bestows to them the admiration and benefits of American citizenship befitting their service. For these reasons. Senator BARBARA MIKULSKI and I have sponsored the Kendell Frederick Citizenship Assistance Act of 2005. Our proposed legislation would require that the Secretary of Homeland Security use the fingerprints provided by soldiers at the time they enlist in the Armed Forces to satisty the fingerprinting requirements associated with their applications for citizenship. New soldiers would be notified in writing about how to obtain citizenship. and the Secretary of Homeland Security would be required to update the appropriate application. guidebook. and Web site maintained by the Department of Homeland Security within 30 days of a change to law or regulation regarding the naturalization process. Moreover. our bill would establish the position of Citizenship Advocate at each military entry processing station to provide information on the naturalization process to members of the armed forces. Finally. we would also require the Government Accountability Office. GAO. to study the implementation of this act. including an evaluation of how technology may be used to improve the efficiency of the naturalization process for members of the armed forces. The GAO would then report to Congress its findings and recommendations. Our bill emphasizes common sense over bureaucratic thinking and clarity over confusion. to establish a naturalization process that is more soldierfriendly and efficient. Given the lifeordeath battles soldiers like Specialist Kendell Frederick routinely face on foreign soil. let us never forget they need not battle red tape here at home. Support our troops by supporting this legislation.