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LETTER: Defense Secretary Gates Supports DREAM Act for “Military Readiness”

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Secretary of Defense Robert Gates sent a letter to Senator Richard Durbin (CC: Sen. Carl Levin and Sen John McCain), laying out his support for the DREAM Act. Secretary Gates says, in part:

“There is a rich precedent supporting the service of non-citizens in the U.S. military. Since the Revolutionary War, non-citizens have enlisted in the armed forces for service during periods of national emergency. Today, about 35,000 non-citizens serve, and about 8,000 permanent resident aliens enllist every year. The DREAM Act represents an opportunity to expand this pool, to the advantage of military recruitment and readiness.”

View the letter:


Full text of the letter is below, for easy copying: