Government Agrees to Naturalize JBLM Soldier After ACLU Lawsuit

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the government agreed to expedite the naturalization of a decorated active-duty U.S. Army service member stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

This comes just 25 days after the ACLU of Washington filed a lawsuit on behalf of Army Specialist Do Hoon Kim for failing to process his application for over 500 days. Long delays like this are in violation of the federal Administrative Procedure Act, which requires the government to process applications “within a reasonable time.”

Specialist Kim, who was brought to this country from South Korea by his parents in 2006 and grew up in the Los Angeles area, enlisted in the Army in 2014 under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program. The MAVNI program was established to recruit non-citizens with skills critical to the needs of the U.S. military, including medical, technical and language expertise. The government is required to expedite the processing of naturalization applications for MAVNI enlistees.

“Specialist Kim has suffered through uncertainty about his immigration status while serving our country with honor and integrity for nearly four years,” said ACLU-WA Legal Fellow Michael Youhana. “We are pleased that he will be able to continue his life in and service to the U.S. without additional burdens imposed by the government delaying his naturalization application.” 

“It should not require the filing of a lawsuit for the government to keep its promise.”

Specialist Kim was naturalized at 3 p.m. November 9, 2018 at the USCIS office in Tukwila, WA.
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According to the complaint filed by the ACLU, although SPC Kim had four years of exemplary service, he received no support in the naturalization process until a lawsuit against the government was filed on his behalf by the ACLU.

It is too often the case that good people are lost because of politics and apathy.

Congratulations to SPC. Kim on becoming a United States Citizen!

Operating in Hostile and Non-Permissive Environments:
A Survival and Resource Guide for Those Who Go in Harm’s Way

 

Military personnel deployed to a combat area, their supporting contractors overseas, government civilian employees overseas, non-government organizations (NGOs), journalists working on international stories, businesses attempting to establish a foothold in developing countries, and individual travelers to remote areas of the world can all find themselves in hostile and non-permissive environments. This guide covers a broad range of subjects that are intended to aid individuals, living and working in dangerous areas, in being safer in their daily lives and in being better able to protect themselves and survive in case of an emergency, disaster, or hostile action.