Speech #1100071968

Frederick died while trying to show his gratitude to this country. to a Nation that finally showed its appreciation far too late by awarding him citizenship posthumously. Surely. it did not have to be this way. This legislation corrects this wrong by removing unnecessary hurdles that our noncitizen armed service members have been required to undergo in applying for citizenship along with ensuring that they are provided with assistance from the military and immigration officials. especially during their deployment. Specifically. the Act would assist our noncitizen men and women in uniform on the pathway to citizenship by making the following needed adjustments: requires the Department of Homeland Security use the fingerprints taken by the military at induction for citizenship applications. requires noncitizen military service members to submit their citizenship applications within 24 months of enlistment. requires the Department of Homeland Security to create a dedicated customer service 1800 phone line for service members and their families to call with questions. requires the Department of Homeland Security to promptly update and revise its written and electronic citizenship application. instructions and guidebook within 30 days of any material change in the law or regulation. and ensures executive agency accountability to Congress by requiring a GAO report documenting how the Department of Homeland Security currently handles military service members citizenship applications as well as the training that DHS personnel receive regarding military citizenship applications. Noncitizens are 5 percent of the total active duty U.S. military service members. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). between September EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS. Vol. 153. Pt. 13 11. 2001 and December 2006. 84 noncitizen armed services members (including Spc. Frederick) killed in action have been awarded posthumous citizenship. For their sacrifice. these noncitizens more than deserve not to be entangled in overly burdensome bureaucratic red tape. Therefore. I urge my colleagues to support our troops by supporting this bill.