Discharged Army specialist born in South Korea granted U.S. citizenship, lawyers say

Sea’s attorney, Sameer Ahmed, said he was “glad the government has made good on its promise under its enlistment program.”

Ahmed said earlier this week that he believed Sea’s case was part of a greater effort by the Trump administration to deny citizenship to soldiers.

The Associated Press reported last month immigration attorneys knew of more than 40 U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship and have been discharged or whose status has become questionable, jeopardizing their futures.

The Army has since temporarily stopped discharging immigrant recruits, pending a review of the program.

Sea applied for citizenship in 2014, but she was denied after immigration officials alleged there had been a fraudulent document in an earlier student visa application. Sea believed the paperwork she obtained through an approved language school was legitimate, according to the lawsuit, but the school’s owner was convicted in a fraud case.

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