Following a request from Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, the State Department acknowledged in a return letter that they did have the authority to cancel the visas of individuals who supported or espoused Hamas’ terrorist activity on American soil.
Reports show after its violent and unjustifiable assaults on Israeli people, Hamas, the Iran-backed terrorist organization, announced an international “day of rage” and called for bloodshed worldwide. Many Hamas supporters who organized protests in the U.S. are students, immigrants, or workers on visas. The law prevents terrorist sympathizers from entering the US.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging that he evaluate and cancel the visas of Hamas supporters.
Rubio submitted the document on October 15, and the State Department responded on November 15:
The State Department said that on October 8, 1997, the Secretary of State designated Hamas a Foreign Terrorist Organization according to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Visa applications are reviewed first to ensure they do not threaten US security. Every US visitor is thoroughly screened. All screening problems must be remedied before issuing a visa.
After receiving the letter, Rubio posted on X that the State Department admitted it has extensive jurisdiction under the INA to cancel visas. The State Department has officially acknowledged that they had the authority to cancel the visas of Hamas sympathizers and deport them. Now is the time for action.
A report shows that at the end of October, FBI Director Christopher Wray informed the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that they assess that the activities of Hamas and its supporters would serve as an inspiration, the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS started its so-called caliphate some years ago. In recent weeks, many international terrorist organizations have issued threats against the United States and Western Europe.
NCTC Director Christine Abizaid explained that several terrorist groups, including those with ties to al-Qa’eda, are using the Israeli-Hamas war as part of their communications and propaganda. ISIS, whose ideology is diametrically opposed to Hamas’, is also taking advantage of the chaos. They want to utilize this to bolster support and plan other attacks.
