Reuters
May 14, 2015
The
U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday went on record as being
against any action by the Pentagon toward formally allowing undocumented
immigrants who arrived in
the United States as children to serve in the U.S. armed forces.
By
a vote of 221 to 202, the Republican-controlled House killed language
that had been added into an annual defense budget bill. The language
stated that the U.S. defense
secretary should review whether allowing such undocumented residents
was in the national interest and thus make them eligible to enlist as
soldiers.
In
2012, President Barack Obama issued an executive order allowing certain
undocumented immigrants who entered the United States before their 16th
birthday to be temporarily
exempt from deportation. Many of them had no choice but to enter the
United States because they crossed the border with their undocumented
parents.
"For
many, America is the only country they have ever known. It is the
country they love and call home. Many want nothing more than to serve
the United States in uniform,"
said Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego, who pushed for the
Pentagon review.
Republican
Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama argued, "This Congress should
support and represent Americans by voting to stop military service
opportunities from being
taken from struggling American families in order to give them to
illegal aliens."
U.S.
immigration policy and the failure of Congress to modernize its
outdated laws are certain to be debated throughout the 2016 presidential
campaigns that are getting
underway.
This would not be the first time the Pentagon has been in the middle of a national debate over controversial social issues.
In past years, the U.S. military has been a crucible for racial integration, the role of women in the workforce and gay rights.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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