Infographic: Immigrants in the U.S. military

Ed. note: Print copies will be available at from Alternatives to Military Service and Whatcom Peace & Justice Center at community events including Sept. 21's International Day of Peace, Sept. 24-25's Red Square Info Fair, and Sept. 28's Birchwood International Market.

I decided to do an infographic on immigrants in the military because it’s a topic that is not often talked about.

Throughout U.S. history, we have recruited immigrants from all over the world to serve in the U.S. military. As a DACA recipient who considered the military as my only pathway toward attaining citizenship, I quickly realized that was not the case.

DACA recipients who join the military do not have a set pathway towards citizenship. In fact, the U.S. has deported American veterans because of their status, after dedicating their lives to this country.

What really encouraged me to make this infographic was a speaker that came to WWU, Margaret D Scott. Though I strongly disagreed with her conclusions, I found her talk (online here: HTTPS://FAIRHAVEN.WWU.EDU/IMMIGRANTS-US-MILITARY) very informative, and used many of the data to find other resources to create this.

Written by Victoria Matey-Mendoza

[She/Her/Hers] Victoria is a recent graduate from Western Washington University. She joined the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center in 2015 as the student representative. She has been involved in many efforts specifically around immigration and undocumented folks. Through various forms of organizing -- institutional and grassroots -- she has helped many students get civically engaged. Victoria offers various workshops around challenging narratives of undocumented immigrants. In her spare time she enjoys camping, swimming and spending time with her community.