Robert Gates: Ending DACA Would Jeopardize 1,100 Immigrant Troops

At a time when so many young Americans are ineligible to even be considered for the military, extending protections for "Dreamers" also would have a positive impact on the armed forces, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in a column for The New York Times.

Risking the loss of 1,100 recipients of the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) who are in the military or have signed contracts to join is imprudent given that 71 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24 would fail to qualify for the military.

"That is why we need legislation that will provide a pathway to citizenship for those immigrants who, among other attributes, are serving or have served in the military, whether they are in America legally or were brought here illegally as children," Gates wrote for the NYT.

"That kind of policy will help the military recruit new service members and improve readiness," Gates wrote.

"In light of the service and sacrifice of those immigrants — legal or not — it is also the right thing to do," Gates wrote.

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