Hell to the YEAH! J.R. Salzman and @AG_Conservative take AP story on Army discharging 'immigrant recruits' APART

Our friends in the media strike AGAIN, with another crap headline written to deliberately instill RAGE in people who they know won’t actually read the article or bother to understand the policy and why certain ‘immigrant recruits’ are being discharged.

Look at this BS …

AP NewsBreak: The U.S. Army has moved in recent weeks to discharge dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists who enlisted through a program that promised them a path to citizenship. https://t.co/OFMawYeMRm

— The Associated Press (@AP) July 5, 2018

Notice how they emphasize the ‘path to citizenship’ in this headline which reads as a sad attempt to imply Trump hates IMMIGRANTS so much he’s kicking them out of the military. Pathetic, right?

J.R. Salzman was front and center to set the matter straight with ATTITUDE:

I read the article twice and I’m not seeing what everyone is outraged about. In order for a noncitizen to enlist, they have to go through thorough background checks. If something doesn’t check out, or they can’t be properly vetted, then they can’t serve. https://t.co/WQSTpmiiHu

— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) July 6, 2018

Fail a background check you can’t serve.

We’re not seeing any great outrage or evil here.

For starters, these are just new recruits. They are not soldiers, and haven’t gone to basic training yet. All they did was sign a piece of paper and hold up their right hand. All of that stuff hinges on all their paperwork and background info being up to par.

— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) July 6, 2018

Wait, you mean they’re not already serving, RISKING THEIR LIVES for our freedom?!

Get outta here.

AP actually used a recruit from Iran and Pakistan as examples. Those of you outraged do realize a lot of people in those countries don’t like America very much, and therefore vetting recruits is very important?

— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) July 6, 2018

Let me put this another way. Most people support background checks on people trying to purchase a gun. Well, these people are going to be given live grenades and automatic weapons and security clearances. When it comes to the background checks for foreign recruits, it’s a BFD.

— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) July 6, 2018

It IS a BFD so yes please, do those background checks.

I very clearly remember the enlistment process. One of the last things is to sit in a cubicle with a lawyer. They say if you lied about anything, or if your background check isn’t as clean as you say, we will kick you out and then sue you to recoup any money we’ve given you.

— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) July 6, 2018

So this isn’t some giant conspiracy to hurt brown people.

We’re shocked.

I know this website induces fits of temporary rage-priapism, but the numbers *quoted in the article* suggest this is a fraction of the total men and women in the program, some of whose problems predate this Administration, and the story is being pushed by activists. https://t.co/WKnreJxXCz

— (((≠))) (@ThomasHCrown) July 5, 2018

Activist media is a thing now.

AG, truly one of the most informed and balanced accounts on Twitter, wrote an exceptional thread on this topic (we covered him and his thread HERE as well):

I was outraged by this headline, but decided to hold off commenting until I learned more. Now talking to several knowledgeable people re this program who are pointing to important caveats that suggest waiting on the details before getting outraged is the right thing to do. https://t.co/Px1uqoBJTR

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

1) I am told that a background check has always been an essential element in this program. The article itself admits the people being released have failed that check.

2) As they have not even started basic training, they aren’t really being discharged.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

3) also told that the program has faced issues recently w/ abuse by those who sign up just for short periods to get stats via honorable discharge since there is no time requirement for service.

4) Apparently, w/ background issue, there is a rising gang problem among recruits.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

Now of course if they are actually kicking out people who were willing to serve this country honorably, that is outrageous and should be reviewed in a case by case basis, but some of these cuts may be warranted for reasons stated above.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

Indeed.

On the other hand, if this is the AP taking reasonable actions by the military and twisting them into some nefarious anti-immigrant plot, it’s yet another example of a string of media failures recently where creating outrage seems to be prioritized over the truth and context.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

That too.

One more note: Apparently the whole reason for the added background scrutiny for recruits of the MAVNI program was that the Obama admin wrongly tried to combine it with DACA to give Dreamers a path to citizenship: https://t.co/z03lfttmRi

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

You should note the very same expert extensively quoted in the AP article specifically said that it was the Obama admin’s decision to pair the program with DACA “sounded the death knell for the program”. pic.twitter.com/TPr1FHF8Gu

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

More: There was a complete freeze in new recruiting for the MANVI program after enhanced security checks became a requirement in the fall of 2016 (under the Obama administration)https://t.co/bkqquwFP51

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

More clarification: It appears that recruits time out if they don’t pass the checks and report to basic after 1095 days (extended form original deadline of 730 in 2017). That explains why some are timing out despite freeze on new recruits in fall of 2016. (H/t @ECH_ALA)

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

So the people being cut now seem to be a combination of those failing counter-intel checks and those timing out because checks haven’t been completed. The latter is obviously less defensible. The program itself has been fully frozen to new recruits since the Obama admin.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

Last point via a knowledgeable source related to the program: I am told that a large percentage of MAVNI recruits being flagged and failing counter intel checks are from China.

I thought that was interesting and counter perception some people may have had from the AP article.

— (((AG))) (@AG_Conservative) July 6, 2018

From CHINA.

I can't believe they keep doing this.

— Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D., M.S. (@Neoavatara) July 6, 2018

At this point, we do believe they keep doing this.

Shameful, AP.

I do this all the time. When I read a story like this, I immediately ask, "OK, what are they not saying?"

— AgainstTrumpDude (@TheAmishDude) July 6, 2018