A group of Republican Senators is pleading with President Joe Biden to revoke the visas of those foreign nationals in the United States who back Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Gaza and has launched attacks on Israel.
On Thursday, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a resolution asking Biden to revoke visas for pro-Hamas foreign nationals, especially those on F-1 student visas, who currently reside in the United States.
“Hamas is a brutal terrorist group, and there is simply no place in America for terrorist sympathizers,” Blackburn said in a statement:
Current U.S. law clearly underlines that any foreign national who endorses Hamas or other foreign terrorist organizations should not be allowed to enter this country. To put the security of American citizens first, President Biden must immediately revoke the visas of those who support Hamas and other terrorist groups. [Emphasis added]
Rubio, likewise, said living in the U.S. is a privilege for visa-holders — not a right — and thus “any individual … promoting Hamas should have that privilege revoked.”
“Republicans are united in calling on President Biden to enforce current law and revoke the visas of any foreign national who support[s] Hamas or any other foreign terrorist organization,” Rubio said.
Students march across the UCLA campus in support of Palestinians caught up in the conflict that continued to rage unabated between Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Students rally on the UCLA campus in support of Palestinians caught up in the conflict that continued to rage unabated between Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL.), Rick Scott (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Ted Budd (R-NC), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), John Cornyn (R-TX), and John Hoeven (R-ND) joined the resolution.
Former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Emilio Gonzalez told the Washington Times the government should revoke such visas using existing federal immigration law.
Also this week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, requesting he begin the process of revoking visas for pro-Hamas foreign nationals and subsequently deport them to their native countries.
“I write to urge you to immediately deport any foreign national — including and especially any alien on a student visa — that has expressed support for Hamas and its murderous attacks on Israel,” Cotton wrote. “These fifth-columnists have no place in the U.S.”
