There are 37,000 non-citizen, green card holders in the military. A major incentive for them to join is that they receive a shortcut to citizenship.

Citing the war on terrorism, Bush in July issued an order permitting green card holders who are on active duty to immediately apply for citizenship, waiving the usual three-year waiting time. The government also created a team to quickly process citizenship applications from the military. Such requests have since quadrupled, from about 300 a month to more than 1,300 a month.

California produces the lion's share of these enlistees. Half of the first 10 Californians killed in the War on Iraq have not been citizens. Is it fair?

Critics say the government is playing off the desire for citizenship to exploit these mostly poor immigrants — from Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean — for the war effort. "Especially at a time when the doors for citizenship are closing, this may be one of few routes left," said Connie Rice, a civil rights attorney. "It's a tough but well-worn path. Is it fair? No."

We agree. It's true that many, if not most of the enlistees, have true patiriotic feelings for America. But why should citizenship be so hard for them to obtain--why should they have to risk death to get it? For example, take Los Angeles City College student Winston Leiva. He is

motivated by loyalty and respect. He came to Los Angeles at 14, joining family members who were escaping political oppression and economic hardship in Guatemala. Out of gratitude to America, the 29-year-old Koreatown resident said, he signed up for the Marines and is prepared to go to war.

After living here for 15 years, shouldn't Leiva be able to obtain citizenship any time he wanted, regardless of whether he served in the military? Apparently not, because "Some have spent years and thousands of dollars seeking citizenship through attorneys and immigration consultants, recruiters say."

We think demanding service in the military as a quid pro quo for faster citizenship is too high a price to extract from these green card holders. What good will citizenship do for them if they die on the battlefield before they have a chance to enjoy it?