Following lawsuit and public backlash, U.S. Army reverses decision to discharge immigrant recruit
newsdepo.com
It looks like there will be justice for immigrant soldier Lucas Calixto, who was among the estimated 40 immigrant recruits who had recently been discharged or fallen into “questionable” status by the government, with no explanation as to why. FollowingFollowing lawsuit and public backlash, U.S. Army reverses decision to discharge immigrant recruit
It looks like there will be justice for immigrant soldier Lucas Calixto, who was among the estimated 40 immigrant recruits who had recently been discharged or fallen into “questionable” status by the government, with no explanation as to why. Following a lawsuit—an considerable public backlash—“the Army has reversed its widely covered decision ... in what his lawyer called an acknowledgment that the move was ‘improper.’” The discharge had blindsided Calixto, a 28-year-old recruit from Brazil, who had been “deemed to exhibit honorable service as recently as May and earned a recent promotion.” But, as Washington Post reporter Alex Horton tweeted, “there is evidence,” going back at least a year, that “the government is trying to strangle the immigrant recruitment program with bureaucracy.” Calixto sued in June, claiming “the Army violated its own policies by not explaining why he was separated or giving him a chance to respond. The Army’s discharge also violated constitutional protections of due process under the Fifth Amendment, the lawsuit claimed.” It’s not clear how much public reaction factored into the government’s reversal, but if that is the case, it wouldn’t be the first instance. Last March, the administration had to be publicly shamed into dropping deportation proceedings against Elia Crawford, the spouse of a special forces veteran. “After the Crawfords’ story published, Military Times was contacted by several other families also facing the deportation of a spouse.” What a heartfelt thanks to the thousands of immigrant service members, and immigrant loved ones of service members, who have been willing to sacrifice sweat, tears and blood for love of country. Meanwhile, the traitorous commander in chief shamelessly sides with an authoritarian who ordered an attack on the U.S., and will very likely attempt further attacks in the future. Horton also tweeted that the reversal is “one of few acknowledgements the military has violated its own policies when removing immigrants serving in uniform.” Calixto’s attorney agrees. “We are pleased that the Army recognized that Mr. Calixto’s discharge was improper,” Douglas Baruch said, “and will be revoked within two days. He and we know of no reason why the Army wouldn’t want him to complete his eight-year service commitment.” Others discharged like Calixto deserve their justice too. Read more