with duarte geraldino reports. diswawrduarte geraldino reports. >> reporter: dave tomlinson is an immigrant from be be south america. he just became an american three years since moving to new york city. >> how long has your mother lived there? >> 20 years. had a green card, i decided to join the army because i wanted to speed up the process a little bit. >> that process can take up to five years from when a foreign he obtains a green card. >> once i joined the army it came through in a few months. >> reporter: for years, the army had actively recruited foreign residents by fast tracking their citizenship when they enlist. but in 2008 widened the pool of potential foreign recruits. more controversially, in 2015, president obama expanded the program, making it possible for people illegally entering the u.s. to join the armed forces, a fast track to american citizenship within months. it's about 4:30 in the monk and i'm two hours south of atlanta at forth beening ai benning air force. these are non-u.s. citizens in c

al jazeera's duarte geraldino reports from fort benning georgia. >> dave tomlinson is imrament. he just became aen citizen. >> i decideto join the army. >> that process becoming an american citizen can take up to five years, frn being grante --g granted a green card. promising to fast track their path to citizenship when they enlist but a pilot program started in 2008 widened the pool of potential foreign recrooutle. more controversially in 2015, president obama expanded the program make it possible for people who illegally enter the u.s. to join the armed forces. and the military offers them the same promise. a fast track to american citizenship. within months. it's about 4:30 in the morning and i'm two hours south of atlanta at fort benning air force base. non-u.s. citizens in combat techniques. the program is called military assention is vital to the military. or mavni fort short. people who have skills essential for the military like medical or language training. became adults in the u.s., is is once in basic strange they're virtually indistinguishable from everyone else. be