Ileana Ros-lehtinen Grieves Lincoln Diaz-balart: 'the Oppressed People Of Cuba Had No Greater Advocate'

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was traveling out of Miami when she learned that Lincoln Diaz-Balart died on Monday . He was 70.

Ros-Lehtinen, who made history as the first Hispanic woman to serve in Congress, released a statement saying it was a sad day.

"The oppressed people of Cuba had no greater advocate for their freedom," she wrote adding, "He made it his life's mission to call for democracy and human rights for his native land."

Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen were both born in Havana, Cuba, both moved to the U.S. as children, and both had fathers who opposed Fidel Castro. They worked together closely as Cuban-American lawmakers.

"He was the intellectual giant among us," she wrote. "His knowledge of Cuban history was expansive and impressed world leaders when we met with them."