A group of green card holders – lawful permanent residents of the U.S. who are not citizens – is challenging the Trump administration policy that bars them from serving in the armed forces.
The White House issued the policy last October, effectively ending the practice of treating non-citizens who wish to join the U.S. armed forces the same way citizens are treated. They would be subject to background checks before they could begin basic training under the old policy.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing the class of lawful permanent residents in the lawsuit, called the new policy “vague” and said it “amounts to an outright and indeterminate ban” on military service for green card holders. The suit is pending before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in San Francisco.
