Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a politician and lobbyist from Miami, Florida, who represented from 1989 to 2019.
49 Facts About Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
2.
In 1989, Ros-Lehtinen won a special election and became the first Cuban American elected to Congress.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was the first Republican woman elected to the House from Florida.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen gave the first Republican response to the State of the Union address in Spanish in 2011, and gave the third in 2014.
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In September 2011, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Republican member of the US Congress to co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act.
6.
In July 2012, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Republican in the House to support same-sex marriage.
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The family immigrated to the United States when Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was seven years old.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen received her Bachelor of Arts in education and her Master of Arts in educational leadership from Florida International University.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen attended the University of Miami where she earned an Ed.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1982, where she met State Representative Dexter Lehtinen.
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In 1989, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen resigned her seat to become a US Representative.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was the first Cuban American elected to the United States Congress and the first Republican woman elected from Florida.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen joined Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on a congressional delegation to the United Nations in order to encourage international support for an end to the genocide in Darfur.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen hung up on him, believing that it was a prank call from a radio station.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen did the same to Obama's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel when he rang to confirm the original call was genuine, and only accepted the call after Congressman Howard Berman managed to speak to her.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen played a key role in keeping the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010 from being passed into law.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen reportedly invoked concerns about the legislation's cost and that funds could be used to promote abortion.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen advocates cutting funding to Lebanese Armed Forces and the West Bank and Gaza.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has been an opponent of funding for the Peace Corps.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen pressured the State Department to accelerate its processing of passports, something that had hindered American citizens' travel during the crucial summer travel season.
21.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was ranked as the sixth most bipartisan member of the US House of Representatives during the 114th United States Congress in the Bipartisan Index, created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy to assess congressional bipartisanship.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 in its initial September 29,2008 vote, which failed, but voted in favor of the revised bill in its October 3,2008 vote, which passed.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen supported the de facto government in Honduras, headed by Roberto Micheletti, that emerged after the military coup against President Manuel Zelaya.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen opposes US support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the Palestinian Authority.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen describes herself as a "strong supporter of Israel" and regards the US relationship with Israel as "critical to the national security interests of both nations".
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen supported President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen played a prominent role in the Cuban-American lobby, which puts pressure on the Cuban government to bring about political change in Cuba.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was a member of the Congressional Cuba Democracy Caucus.
31.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has defended former fugitive Velentin Hernandez, convicted of murdering Luciano Nieves, a fellow Cuban exile who supported negotiations with the Cuban government, In the 1980s, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen lobbied for the release and pardon of Cuban exile Orlando Bosch, who had been convicted of terrorist acts and has been accused of involvement in the 1976 bombing of Cubana Flight 455, which killed 73 people, helping organize an "Orlando Bosch day" to gain support for his release.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen played a prominent role in the unsuccessful attempt by relatives of Elian Gonzalez to gain custody of six-year-old from the Castro regime, describing Cuba as "that system of godless communism".
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen attempted to block Jimmy Carter's visit to the island in 2002.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen stirred controversy by calling for the assassination of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen opposed President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail Muslim immigration until better screening methods are devised.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is against allowing federal funds and federal health coverage for abortions.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has voted to make it a crime to harm a fetus while committing a crime.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is against partial-birth abortions unless it is necessary to save the mother's life.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has voted to ban minors from being transported to receive an abortion and wants to prohibit minors from traveling over state lines for abortions.
40.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has a "B" rating from NORML for her voting history regarding cannabis-related causes.
41.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has been a notable Republican voice in favor of LGBT rights.
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Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was one of three Republican members of the LGBT Equality Caucus, of which she is a founding member and a vice-chairwoman.
43.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was one of fifteen Republican House members to vote in favor of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, and was the first Republican cosponsor of the bill.
44.
In September 2011, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Republican member of the US Congress to co-sponsor the Respect for Marriage Act, and signed on to a letter to IRS Commissioner Schulman requesting that the IRS provide clear guidance for LGBT taxpayers.
45.
In 2013, Ros-Lehtinen was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v Perry case.
46.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has remained active in politics since leaving office, endorsing the Republican campaign of Maria Elvira Salazar for her old congressional seat in 2020.
47.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen donated to the congressional reelection campaign of Democrat Frederica Wilson in 2022.
48.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen allegedly used the funds for personal expenses and vacations, where the reports from PAC showed spending of $4,000 on a trip to the Walt Disney World with family in December 2017 and another transaction of $3,100 at the Coral Gables seafood restaurant MesaMar on 2018 New Year's Eve.
49.
In 1984, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen married Dexter Lehtinen, a former attorney for the US District Court for the Southern District, with whom she has two children, Rodrigo, a transgender LGBT rights activist, and Patricia Marie.