Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
U.S.A. / SPORTS
July 16, 2018
Immigrant Ph.D. candidate rocked by sudden U.S. Army discharge
By Martha Mendoza and
Garance Burke
The Associated Press
S
AN FRANCISCO — Growing up in
eastern China, Panshu Zhao fell in
love with America. He read the
bible his parents gave him, watched
Hollywood movies, and studied the ideals
of democracy. He jumped at the chance to
attend graduate school at Texas A&M
University.
In 2016, Zhao enlisted in the U.S. Army
as part of a special recruitment program
offering immigrants in the country legally
a path to citizenship.
The future, he said, was bright.
Now, he is one of the dozens of immi-
grant recruits and reservists struggling
with abrupt, often unexplained military
discharges and cancelled contracts. They
traded being willing to risk their lives for
the prospect of U.S. citizenship, a
timeworn exchange that’s drawn linguists,
medical specialists, and thousands of
other immigrants to the military since the
Revolutionary War.
“It’s just like you’re dropped from
heaven to hell,” Zhao told The Associated
Press.
It is unclear how many men and women
who enlisted through the special
recruitment program have been ousted
from the Army, but immigration attorneys
told The AP that they know of more than
40 recruits who recently have been
discharged or whose status has become
questionable.
Some recruits say they were given no
reason for their discharge. Others said the
Army informed them they’d been labelled
as security risks because they have
relatives abroad or because the Defense
Department
had
not
completed
background checks on them.
The Pentagon said there has been no
policy change since last year, when
defense secretary Jim Mattis said no one
could enter basic training without
completion of a background investigation.
And Army spokeswoman Cynthia O.
Smith said that any enlistee entering the
military undergoes security screenings.
“Each recruit undergoes an indivi-
dualized suitability review and the length
of time for the review is dependent upon
each individual’s unique background,”
Smith said.
Zhao, 31, said his “ship out” date to basic
training was delayed for two years as he
underwent
background
checks,
counterintelligence
interviews,
and
rigorous reviews added as requirements
for immigrant enlistees.
He continued to pursue his Ph.D. in
geography at Texas A&M, but also hit the
gym, prepping for boot camp. And he
trained — in uniform — with his unit. He
had military identification and healthcare,
he said.
In April, Zhao visited Washington, D.C.,
for the first time, touring the White House
and visiting the Republican National
Committee.
That same month, he got word from his
unit
commander:
He
was
being
discharged. He was told simply that his
discharge was “uncharacterized,” he said.
“I’m not a national threat,” Zhao said.
“On the contrast, I’m a national merit
because people like me with higher
education and critical skills, we want to
serve this great U.S. Army. I’m a good
scientist no matter what.”
The Pentagon announced last October
that in order to apply for citizenship,
immigrant recruits were required to have
gone through basic training and served
honorably for either 180 days or a year,
depending on their Army classification.
But that requirement has been challenged
in court.
Some discharged service members
whose basic training was delayed cannot
start the naturalization process. Others
who started the process have had their
applications put on hold.
Immigration attorneys told The AP that
many immigrants let go in recent weeks
received an “uncharacterized discharge,”
which is neither dishonorable nor
honorable.
A Brazilian reservist, Lucas Calixto,
filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C.
contending that he was booted without the
Defense Department giving him a chance
to defend himself or appeal.
President George W. Bush ordered
“expedited naturalization” for immigrant
soldiers in 2002 in an effort to swell
military ranks. Seven years later, the
Military Accessions Vital to the National
Interest program, known as MAVNI,
became an official recruiting program.
The program came under fire from
conservatives when President Barack
Obama added DACA recipients — young
CANCELLED CONTRACT. This photo pro-
vided by Panshu Zhao shows Zhao in uniform on Feb-
ruary 11, 2018 at a U.S. Army Reserve installation in
Houston, Texas. Zhao is one of dozens, if not more,
of devastated immigrant military recruits and reserv-
ists struggling with abrupt and often inexplicable dis-
charges and cancelled contracts. They enlisted with
a promised path to citizenship in exchange for being
willing to risk their lives, a timeworn exchange since
the Revolutionary War. (Panshu Zhao via AP)
immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally —
to the list of eligible enlistees. In response,
the military layered on additional security
clearances for recruits to pass before
heading to boot camp.
Donald Trump’s administration added
even more hurdles, creating a backlog
within the Defense Department. Last fall,
hundreds of recruits still in the enlistment
process had their contracts cancelled. A
few months later, the military suspended
MAVNI.
Republican congressman Andy Harris of
Maryland, who has supported legislation
to limit the program, told The AP that
MAVNI was established by executive
order.
“Our military must prioritize enlisting
American citizens, and restore the MAVNI
program to its specialized, limited scope,”
he said.
According to Air Force Maj. Carla
Gleason, a Pentagon spokeswoman, the
“overwhelming majority” of MAVNI
candidates are from Asia and Africa
because those are the critical language
skills needed in the military.
As of April, 1,100 immigrant recruits
were awaiting basic training while under-
going security reviews, the Pentagon said.
Eligible recruits are required to have
legal status in the U.S., such as a student
visa, before enlisting. More than 5,000
immigrants were recruited into the
program in 2016, and an estimated 10,000
are currently serving. Most go into the
Army, but some also go to the other
military branches.
Zhao is now rethinking his future, but
said he wishes he had a chance to appeal.
“I need justice,” he said. “This is
America. This is not China. This is not the
Middle East. This is not a dictatorship.
And that’s why I love America.”
Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in
Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Japan midfielder Inui gets embassy introduction
ANNUAL EATING CONTEST. Reigning champion Miki Sudo downed 37 franks to win her fifth straight
title in the women’s competition of the annual Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest at Coney
Island in New York. Thousands of attendees braved 83º temperatures and a heat index of 91º to witness the
annual competition on the Coney Island boardwalk. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Miki Sudo downs 37 dogs to win fifth women’s title
By Rebecca Gibian
The Associated Press
N
EW YORK — Miki Sudo
(MIHK’-ee SOO’-doh) downed 37
franks to win her fifth straight
title in the women’s competition of the
annual Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot
dog eating contest.
The Las Vegas competitor fell short of
the 41 hot dogs she consumed last year, but
still beat out second-place finisher
Michelle Lesco of Tucson, Arizona. Lesco
chowed down 28 wieners and buns.
Thousands of attendees braved 83º
temperatures and a heat index of 91º to
witness the annual July Fourth
competition on the Coney Island
boardwalk.
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut confronted 20
other men during the men’s competition to
take home the coveted Mustard Belt.
Sudo was a fan favorite, drawing big
cheers from the crowd during her
performance, which was slightly delayed
after she requested new water to soak her
buns.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan midfielder
Takashi Inui was introduced by La Liga
team Real Betis at the Spanish Embassy
in Tokyo after impressing at the World
Cup.
The 30-year-old Inui, who played for
Spanish club Eibar for three seasons,
said he has a three-year contract with
Betis.
“Betis’ football last season was very
attractive for me,” Inui said. “I had a
strong feeling that I wanted to be a part of
the team.”
Inui scored two goals for Japan at the
World Cup in Russia, and played a major
role in helping his team reach the round of
16.
Inui scored in Japan’s 2-2 draw with
Senegal in the group stage of the World
Cup. He got a second goal in his team’s 2-3
loss against Belgium in the knockout
stage.
NEW CONTRACT. Takashi Inui of Japan wears
his Real Betis jersey at the Spanish embassy in Tokyo.
Inui has signed a contract with the Seville-based club
through 2021. (Kyodo News via AP)
Real Betis says Inui will keep the No. 14
shirt he wore for the Japanese national
team.
Chinese find suggests human relatives left Africa earlier
By Emiliano Rodriguez Mega
The Associated Press
EW YORK — An excavation in
China provides evidence that our
evolutionary cousins left Africa
earlier than we thought.
Stone tools suggest some unidentified
relative of humans lived in China as long
as 2.1 million years ago. That’s about
250,000 years earlier than the previous
record for a presence of human relatives
N
outside Africa.
Until now, the oldest evidence of
human-like creatures outside Africa came
from 1.8-million-year-old artifacts and
skulls found in the Georgian town of
Dmanisi.
The new findings were published in the
journal Nature.
The discovery, however, does not answer
the longstanding question of when our own
species — Homo sapiens — first emerged
from Africa.