Ever since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, we have seen pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian protests breaking out around the country.
The FBI and other agencies have expressed concern about possible lone-wolf terrorist actors in this country.
Even so, the decision was made by the Biden administration not to revoke any of the visas from pro-Hamas foreign nationals.
They Can Stay
The movement to have the visas revoked started last month after Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to the Secretary of State with the request.
His letter stated, “Per 8 U.S.C. 1182, an alien is inadmissible into the United States should they represent ‘a political, social, or other group that endorses or espouses terrorist activity.’”
It continued, "Hamas’ designation as a [foreign terrorist organization] makes this a clear directive to institute a thorough review of all visa holders and applicants. This should include coordination with law enforcement, both federal and state/local, as well as universities.”
While the State Department acknowledged that it does have the right to take such action, it declined to do so.
The response stated, “We exercise that authority when there is information or evidence indicating a visa holder may be ineligible for a U.S. visa. When we receive derogatory information that indicates potential visa ineligibility, we take immediate actions, such as entering the information U.S. government databases and revoking visas if deemed appropriate.”
Rubio posted the full letter on X…
State Department confirms they have the power to revoke the visas of Hamas supporters and deport them. Now they need to do it. pic.twitter.com/vCXyKufhad
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 16, 2023
National Security Council (NSC) spokesman John Kirby added, “I would just tell you that you don’t have to agree with every sentiment that is expressed in a free country like this to stand by … the idea [of] the First Amendment and the idea of peaceful protest. I’ll leave it at that.”
Rubio is trying to be proactive while this administration continues to be reactive.
As I have stated many times, the motto of this administration should be “America Last” because they always put the welfare of the country and its citizens behind everything else.
