Mo Brooks Slams House Measure to Allow Illegals to Serve in Military
Todd Beamon
4/30/2015
Republican Rep. Mo Brooks on Thursday opposed a Democratic amendment to a $612 billion defense spending bill approved by a House committee that would allow illegal immigrants to serve in the U.S. armed forces because it would replace Americans who are being downsized.
“It makes no sense to me that, at the same time the Army is downsizing and issuing pink slips to American soldiers serving in Afghanistan, there are congressmen who help illegal aliens deprive American citizens of military service opportunities,” the Alabama legislator said.
The U.S. military has been downsizing to meet the sequestration requirements set by Congress in 2011.
“It’s appalling that some members of the Republican conference, and frankly all members of the Democratic conference, place illegal immigrants on pedestals over American citizens, contrary to the needs and wishes of the American people,” Brooks said.
“Illegal aliens are already taking jobs from and suppressing the wages of struggling American families in the private job market,” he said. “Now, Democrats and wayward Republicans are similarly and actively undermining Americans’ opportunities to serve in the military.”
The amendment, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, was part of the spending bill that was passed 60-2 by the House Armed Services Committee after a marathon session lasting more than 18 hours and ending at 4:39 a.m. Thursday.
Brooks voted against the overall funding bill — and he was among 30 Republicans voting against the amendment. Six GOP members voted with Democrats.
The legislation, to be taken up by the full House next month, would rescind President Barack Obama’s authority to unilaterally transfer prisoners from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, like he did last year in the controversial exchange of five top Taliban detainees for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Bergdahl, 28, has been charged with desertion and other offenses leading to his capture by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2009.
The legislation would also block Obama from closing Guantanamo Bay.
Gallego’s amendment, meanwhile, encourages Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to declare that illegals under Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program are “vital” to the country’s national security — enabling them to enlist even though they are not American citizens.
“Dealing with mass immigration and border security is one of America’s highest priorities,” Brooks said. “No other issue has as large an impact on national security and job opportunities for American citizens than border security.
“I was elected to protect and promote the interests of Americans, not illegal aliens,” the congressman added, saying that he would “continue my fight to put Americans first” by working to defeat Gallego’s amendment once it reaches the House floor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Harold
ACGR's "News with Attitude" 
The Ruben Gallegos Amendment is nothing more than pure anti-American BS. Being from Arizona myself, I know that he is an active member and participant in ALL THINGS Latino and that he supports and advocates for La RAZA, LULAC, MALDEF and a host of other pro-illegal alien, open borders and Amnesty proponents. Gallegos is a constitutional heretic of the worse kind and unfortunately, his support lies deeply in those communities and in such places as the ACLU, the SPLC, the ADL and many more anti-American organizations. His motto is as caustic as that of the AZTLAN group that seeks to return the SW States back to Mexico. and for all intended purposes, Gallegos is more loyal to the Mexican government than he is to the nation that he swore he would preserve, protect and defend. He knows, or at least he should know, that illegal aliens are here in violation of Federal Law, the very laws that Congress wrote to ensure the protection of our borders and the American people. He should also know that no matter how he and others, especially Obama want to dress up an illegal alien, they are still illegal. Manufacturing unconstitutional “loop holes” to allow for a redefinition of what it means to be legal, is nothing more than a carnival trick to convince people that illegal….like the word “is”….is legal. However, the more important point to be considered is this: How can an illegal alien foreign nation be expected to swear an oath to this nation when indeed and in fact, he/she is a full resident and citizen of a foreign nation. Nothing that we can do, short of Naturalization can make them a resident citizen of the USA and as such what we have is an illegal foreign national residing in the USA by a presidential carnival trick pretending to be an American simply because the anti-American Congress and Administration says he/she can join our Military. This is an abomination and the most reprehensible act of TREASON that has growth 3 legs and walked up the aisle. What a waste of tax payer money and what a waste of American citizens who are already serving but are now being “pink slipped” in order to make room for Obama’s illegal alien voters. And, there is also this to be considered. As American citizens are being “pink slipped” and as the DHS and FEMA are engaged in “growing” Obama’s civilian national army primarily with DACA recruits who are still illegal aliens – this effort by Gallegos and his demoncrat and RINO supporters to infiltrate our Military with illegal alien foreign nationals who will TRAIN TO KILL, as are those in AmeriCorps under DHS and FEMA….to the detriment of the nation. GOD HELP US ALL.