@PatriciaMazzei
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a national defense bill Friday that was stripped from language that would have pushed the Pentagon to allow young people brought into the country illegally as children to serve in the military if they have been protected by President Obama's executive immigration order.
Voting against the amendment that eliminated that language were all House Democrats -- and 20 Republicans, including Miami's three Cuban Americans, Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The trio -- especially Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart, who have been longer in Congress -- has repeatedly bucked its party on immigration.
"It's unfortunate," Diaz-Balart told the New York Times. "But it's part of the process."
They were the only Florida Republicans to vote no, though all three ultimately supported the version of the legislation. Two Florida Democrats voted yes on that final vote: Gwen Graham of Tallahassee and Patrick Murphy of Jupiter, who's running for Senate in 2016.
Obama has threatened to veto the bill if it passes the Senate.
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