Fox News contributor Allen West, who has previously called President Obama an "Islamist" with unclear "loyalties," is now calling on the military to ignore orders from its commander-in-chief.
The Military Times reported that the Department of Defense will expand an existing program, Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI), to allow recruiters "to target foreign nationals with high-demand skills, mostly rare foreign language expertise or specialized health care training." The program "is capped at 1,500 recruits per year. Officials say it's unclear how many of those might be unlawful DACA status immigrants as opposed to others who are also eligible for military service under MAVNI, including those with legal, nonpermanent visas such as students or tourists."
The Times noted that "the military recruits about 5,000 noncitizens each year, nearly all of them permanent U.S. residents, or so-called 'green card' holders. Starting in 2006, DoD began accepting some foreigners with nonpermanent visas, such as students or tourists, if they had special skills that are highly valued. After entering military service, foreigners are eligible for expedited U.S. citizenship. Since 2001, more than 92,000 foreign-born service members have become citizens while serving in uniform."
West, a retired Army Lt. Colonel whose service ended in controversy, reacted to the news on his Facebook page by writing that "Barack Hussein Obama took out his pen and ordered our Military to enlist illegal aliens. In other words, this charlatan has allowed those who have disrespected our Constitution and are not citizens to take an oath to support and defend the very document, our rule of law, of which they are in violation."
He added: "This is an illegal order and should not be followed by our Military."
West's post:
Morning folks. While you were sleeping, Barack Hussein Obama took out his pen and ordered our Military to enlist illegal aliens. In other words, this charlatan has allowed those who have disrespected our Constitution and are not citizens to take an oath to support and defend the very document, our rule of law, of which they are in violation. Obama has no constitutional authority to make any laws or rules concerning naturalization as stated in Art I Sect 8 Clause 4. This is an illegal order and should not be followed by our Military. As well, we are pink-slipping men and women in uniform, Americans, and Obama wants to enlist illegals. We are already outsourcing our national security to Syrian Islamists. This is intolerable and just another reason why we must flip the Senate and begin to reverse Obama's tyranny. Any Democrat supporting this illegal order needs to be voted out!
West has repeatedly launched vitriolic attacks against President Obama. He's called the president a "disgusting racist," and claimed "Barack Hussein Obama has an Islamist sympathy ... I don't understand where this president's loyalties lie, and I have to ask the question, whose side is he on?" Despite his controversial history, West is a regular on the Republican Party fundraising circuit.
The former Florida congressman previously questioned the "loyalties" of decorated veteran and Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) for serving with her fellow Democrats on the Benghazi select committee.
Similarly, Fox News host Sean Hannity said earlier this month, "I don't know if I can in good conscience recommend that any American sign up for the military under this leadership," while speaking about President Obama's foreign policy.
