Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made another strong statement in support of immigrant rights.

Earlier this month, the former Sectary of State promised to support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

"We can't wait any longer for a path to full and equal citizenship," she said on May 5 while speaking to "DREAMers," young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.

Following her bold statement about providing DREAMers with a pathway to citizenship, Clinton declared full support last week for giving certain undocumented young people the opportunity to join the military.

"If these courageous young men and women want to serve, they should be honored and celebrated, not discriminated against," said Clinton's national political director, Amanda Renteria, according to The Huffington Post. "Hillary Clinton is committed to comprehensive immigration reform to strengthen families and our country. While we keep up the pressure for comprehensive action, allowing Dreamers to serve in the military is the right step forward."

Despite her push, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted last Thursday to strip a measure from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would have encouraged the secretary of defense to consider allowing certain DREAMers to enlist.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, introduced the amendment to the NDAA last month, saying that Congress "shouldn't let our broken immigration system stand in the way of our military's recruitment goals." Under his proposal, immigrants without legal status would be able to enlist if they qualified for the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

"I know that what really matters on the battlefield is not whether you have the right papers," said Gallego, a Hispanic veteran who had served in Iraq, reports CBS News. "It's whether you have the heart to fight."

However, opponents in the Republican Party blocked the measure and described it as an implicit endorsement of the "amnesty" programs provided by Obama.