U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced a bill Tuesday that would prevent the U.S. government from relocating Palestinian nationals to the United States.
Called the “Guaranteeing Aggressors Zero Admission Act,” or the “GAZA Act,” the legislation would prevent the issuing of visas to people with Palestinian Authority passports or other documentation to enter the United States. Additionally, the bill would block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting such persons entry to the United States through the DHS’s parole program.
“During my recent trip to the southern border, I learned that since October 1, Border Patrol encountered people from Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, among others,” the Montana Senator said in a statement, adding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended more than 151 people whose names appeared on the terror watch list in the fiscal year 2023.
“Given the recent terror attacks on Israel by Hamas, it is apparent that terrorists will stop at nothing to do harm to the United States and our allies. We must take every action necessary to protect the American people from these threats and force the Biden administration to close our borders to every possible threat to our national security,” Mr. Daines said.
Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that the migrants entering the United States through the southern border have diversified in terms of origin, as migrant processing centers were being overwhelmed by people “from over 100 countries.”
In terms of individuals on terrorist watchlists trying to enter the country, there has been a significant increase. For the fiscal year of 2022, the CBP reported 98 encounters with non-U.S. citizens on such watchlists at U.S. ports of entry.
Mr. Daines’ bill has garnered widespread support among House and Senate Republicans.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) suggested on Tuesday that he would support such a plan. “My education policy is that we should stop funding institutions that teach American kids to support terrorist killers,” he wrote on the X social media platform in reference to student protests in the United States in support of Hamas. “My immigration policy is that we should stop importing people who already believe those things.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also commented on the pro-Hamas protests, suggesting agency officials should begin deporting pro-Hamas visa-holders.
“Let’s be clear: ‘from the river to the sea’ is a call for genocide against the Jews,” Mr. Cotton wrote on X. “The foreigners chanting this slogan on campuses should be immediately deported.”
On Saturday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter urging the Biden administration to cancel visas for foreign nationals who support Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“America is the most generous nation on earth, but we cannot allow foreign nationals who support terrorist groups like Hamas and march in our streets calling for ‘intifada’ to enter or stay in our country,” Mr. Rubio said in a press release.
Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has used the parole program to resettle tens of thousands of Afghans across American communities. According to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, “not all” of the roughly 70,000 Afghans brought to the U.S. since August have been vetted according to the recommended protocols.
