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The United States Embassy in Nicaragua published an official infographic debunking a rumor circulating on social media: that undocumented migrants could join the United States military to obtain legal status or a visa.
"On social media, a video is circulating that claims undocumented migrants could join the United States military to obtain legal status. This is false," warned the Embassy in its post, accompanied by the hashtag #Don'tEvenTryIt.
The clarification is clear: "Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents (with a green card) can enlist in the Armed Forces. It is not possible to join the military to obtain a visa or immigration status."
The official portal of the United States government USAGov confirms this just as clearly: "You cannot enlist in the military for the purpose of entering the United States or to obtain a visa."
Foreigners with permanent residency who can enlist must meet additional requirements: they must be able to speak, read, and write English fluently, and currently reside in U.S. territory.
The six military branches —Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard— apply these same citizenship or permanent residency conditions as a basic requirement.
The authorities directly point to the coyotes as responsible for spreading this type of rumor. "Coyotes often spread rumors like this to attract clients and promote illegal crossings. Always seek information from official sources," the Embassy warned.
The U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana had already dispelled the same rumor on April 2, using animations generated with artificial intelligence to reach Spanish-speaking communities.
The rumor may have roots in the past existence of the MAVNI program, launched in 2008, which allowed certain foreigners with specialized skills—proficiency in critical languages or medical knowledge—to enlist in exchange for a fast track to citizenship.
However, that program was suspended in 2016 by the Department of Defense for national security reasons and has not been reactivated, recalled Univisión.
The context in which this misinformation proliferates is one of high migratory vulnerability: the Trump administration eliminated the CBP One program in January 2025, launched mass raids, and suspended residency cards for citizens of 39 countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Haiti.
The net immigration in the U.S. fell by 53.8% between July 2024 and July 2025, decreasing from 2.7 million to 1.3 million people, according to data from the U.S. Census.
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