The Pentagon Supports the Senate Immigration Bill, So Why Should We?

"A senior defense official expressed hope today that a provision in the stalled immigration bill that would have allowed some undocumented aliens to join the military won’t fall off the radar screen," according to this article from American Forces Press Service.

"Certain non-citizens have been eligible to enlist in the military since the Revolutionary War. Today, about 35,000 non-citizens serve in the military, and about 8,000 permanent resident aliens enlist every year, said Marine Maj. Stuart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman."

For all those progressives who are confused about where they stand on the immigration bill because they keep hearing that the most reactionary Republicans and independents are strongly opposed to the bill, this should be another red flag: the Pentagon wants the bill to pass. Add that to the other red flags: Bush wants the bill to pass - a president who has never supported any major proposal that was good for the average American; a handful of elite, pro-big-business Democrats want the bill to pass; organizations like LULAC and the NLG want the bill to fail; the AFL-CIO opposes the bill; etc. etc.

Of course the reactionary, xenophobic, anti-immigrant crowd opposes the bill. They won't be happy with anything that doesn't round up millions of immigrants and deport them to the other side of a 10 foot thick wall with snipers posted every 15 feet. They lost their Sensenbrenner bill last year, but they aren't going to keep quiet. Still they are a minority (admittedly a vocal and powerful minority with right-wing radio, cable news pundits and a few Republicans in Congress on their side). But the rest of us, particularly pro-immigrant activists, shouldn't feel like our starting point has to be a compromise with these bigots.

As a matter of principle, progressives should oppose this bill and clearly state their reasons to counter the radical right. A strong principled stand for amnesty that doesn't obsess over the details of Senate amendments or the latest Fox/CNN/MSNBC talking points can only pull the debate in our direction and further undermine the nativist movement.