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 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."
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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outdated laws are certain to be debated throughout the 2016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.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan)
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