{"id":62198,"date":"2018-07-08T15:10:23","date_gmt":"2018-07-08T15:10:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/08\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:02:18","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:02:18","slug":"immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/07\/08\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigrant PhD candidate rocked by sudden US Army discharge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/player\/embed\/626442085\/626442098\" width=\"100%\" height=\"290\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"NPR embedded audio player\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Growing up in eastern China, Panshu Zhao fell in love with America. He read the Bible his parents gave him, watched Hollywood movies and studied the ideals of democracy. He jumped at the chance to attend graduate school at Texas A&amp;M University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, Zhao enlisted in the U.S. Army as part of a special recruitment program offering immigrants in the country legally a path to citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The future, he said, was bright.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/06\/heres-the-bottom-line-on-the-future-of-mavni-many-foreign-born-recruits-may-soon-be-out\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"182\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/mavni.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s the bottom line on the future of MAVNI: Many foreign-born recruits may soon be out<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Many more than the 40 dismissed recruits may soon be cut from the program.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, he is one of the dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists struggling with abrupt, often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/07\/05\/us-army-quietly-discharging-immigrant-recruits\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">unexplained military discharges and canceled contracts<\/a>. They traded being willing to risk their lives for the prospect of U.S. citizenship, a timeworn exchange that\u2019s drawn linguists, medical specialists and thousands of other immigrants to the military since the Revolutionary War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s just like you\u2019re dropped from heaven to hell,\u201d Zhao told The Associated Press on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is unclear how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2017\/06\/28\/1000-foreign-born-military-recruits-facing-deportation-under-proposed-pentagon-plan\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">ousted from the Army<\/a>, but immigration attorneys told the AP that they know of more than 40 recruits who recently have been discharged or whose status has become questionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2017\/12\/27\/green-card-holders-can-join-the-army-reserve-again-after-a-wait\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/green-card-recruits-.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Green card holders can join the Army Reserve again \u2014 after a wait<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Green card holders looking to join the Army Reserve can do so again, after the Trump administration directed that enlistments be suspended for permanent residents seeking to join the Army.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some recruits say they were given no reason for their discharge. Others said the Army informed them they\u2019d been labeled as security risks because they have relatives abroad or because the Defense Department had not completed background checks on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon said Friday that there has been no policy change since last year, when Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said no one could enter basic training without completion of a background investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2017\/10\/13\/pentagon-adds-security-service-requirements-to-manvi-program\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/635641949544402922-1862478jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pentagon tightens rules for immigrant recruits<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Foreign-born military recruits will face more screening requirements and will have to wait longer to get expedited citizenship.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said that any enlistee entering the military undergoes security screenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEach recruit undergoes an individualized suitability review and the length of time for the review is dependent upon each individual\u2019s unique background,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zhao, 31, said his \u201cship out\u201d date to basic training was delayed for two years as he underwent background checks, counterintelligence interviews and rigorous reviews added as requirements for immigrant enlistees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"687\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18187650965028.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-96419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18187650965028.jpg.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18187650965028.jpg.jpg?resize=300,201 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18187650965028.jpg.jpg?resize=768,515 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This photo provided by Panshu Zhao shows Zhao at the White House on April 21, 2018.  (Panshu Zhao via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He continued to pursue his PhD in geography at Texas A&amp;M but also hit the gym, prepping for boot camp. And he trained \u2014 in uniform \u2014 with his unit. He had military identification and health care, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April, Zhao visited Washington for the first time, touring the White House and visiting the Republican National Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That same month, he got word from his unit commander: He was being discharged. He was told simply that his discharge was \u201cuncharacterized,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not a national threat,\u201d Zhao said. \u201cOn the contrast, I\u2019m a national merit because people like me with higher education and critical skills, we want to serve this great U.S. Army. I\u2019m a good scientist no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon announced last October that in order to apply for citizenship, immigrant recruits were required to have gone through basic training and served honorably for either 180 days or a year, depending on their Army classification. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/06\/22\/lawsuit-green-card-holders-face-bias-in-us-military-policy\/\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">that requirement has been challenged in court<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some discharged service members whose basic training was delayed cannot start the naturalization process. Others who started the process have had their applications put on hold.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/05\/03\/naturalizations-drop-65-percent-for-service-members-seeking-citizenship-after-mattis-memo\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6788261959_d8f72e5b1c_b.jpg_ecdede.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Naturalizations drop 65 percent for service members seeking citizenship after Mattis memo<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The number of service members applying for and earning U.S. citizenship through military service has dropped 65 percent since Defense Secretary Jim Mattis directed additional background checks for non-citizen troops.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Immigration attorneys told the AP that many immigrants let go in recent weeks received an \u201cuncharacterized discharge,\u201d which is neither dishonorable nor honorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Brazilian reservist, Lucas Calixto, filed a lawsuit in Washington last week contending that he was booted without the Defense Department giving him a chance to defend himself or appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President George W. Bush ordered \u201cexpedited naturalization\u201d for immigrant soldiers in 2002 in an effort to swell military ranks. Seven years later, the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, known as MAVNI, became an official recruiting program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The program came under fire from conservatives when President Barack Obama added DACA recipients \u2014 young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally \u2014 to the list of eligible enlistees. In response, the military layered on additional security clearances for recruits to pass before heading to boot camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Donald Trump\u2019s administration added even more hurdles, creating a backlog within the Defense Department. Last fall, hundreds of recruits still in the enlistment process had their contracts canceled. A few months later, the military suspended MAVNI.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/03\/06\/us-closes-naturalization-offices-at-military-basic-training-sites\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"159\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/257406.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US closes naturalization offices at military basic training sites<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The number of foreign-born service members becoming U.S. citizens dropped 16 percent last year.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland, who has supported legislation to limit the program, told the AP that MAVNI was established by executive order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur military must prioritize enlisting American citizens, and restore the MAVNI program to its specialized, limited scope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to Air Force Maj. Carla Gleason, a Pentagon spokeswoman, the \u201coverwhelming majority\u201d of MAVNI candidates are from Asia and Africa because those are the critical language skills needed in the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of April, 1,100 immigrant recruits were awaiting basic training while undergoing security reviews, the Pentagon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eligible recruits are required to have legal status in the U.S., such as a student visa, before enlisting. More than 5,000 immigrants were recruited into the program in 2016, and an estimated 10,000 are currently serving. Most go the Army, but some also go to the other military branches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zhao is now rethinking his future, but said he wishes he had a chance to appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI need justice,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is America. This is not China. This is not the Middle East. This is not a dictatorship. And that\u2019s why I love America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press Writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Panshu Zhao is one of the dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists struggling with abrupt, often unexplained military discharges and canceled contracts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":96417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":70,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,12,25,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2918,3037],"class_list":["post-62198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2TQYAVAYGBCA3JSLKYMMWGZQAI","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/08\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Immigrant PhD candidate rocked by sudden US Army discharge - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Panshu Zhao is one of the dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists struggling with abrupt, often unexplained military discharges and canceled contracts.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/08\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Immigrant PhD candidate rocked by sudden US Army discharge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Panshu Zhao is one of the dozens of immigrant recruits and reservists struggling with abrupt, often unexplained military discharges and canceled contracts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2018\/07\/08\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-08T15:10:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T11:02:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Martha Mendoza, The Associated Press, Garance Burke, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Martha Mendoza, The Associated Press, Garance Burke, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/08\\\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/news\\\/your-army\\\/2018\\\/07\\\/08\\\/immigrant-phd-candidate-rocked-by-sudden-us-army-discharge\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Immigrant PhD candidate rocked by sudden US Army 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