Muslim Democrats are 'Horrified' by a Plan to Halt the Immigration of Palestinians into the United States

Reps. Ilhan Omar (MN), Rashida Tlaib (MI), Andre Carson (IN), all Muslim Democrats, are "horrified" by the Republican proposal to halt legal Palestinian immigration to the United States.

Legislation was introduced this week by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and other members of the House Republican conference, with the aim of prohibiting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting parole, green cards, visas, or refugee status to Palestinians, as Breitbart News reported.

Additionally, Palestinians residing in the United States would have their credentials revoked under Zinke's legislation, rendering them subject to deportation.

Comments on the Legislation

“This legislation keeps America safe,” Zinke said of the legislation. “I don’t trust the Biden Administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States.”

Carson, Tlaib, and Omar retaliated by issuing a joint statement in which they characterized Zinke's legislation as "xenophobic, punitive, and unconstitutional."

“As the three Muslim Members of Congress, we are horrified by Rep. Ryan Zinke’s recently introduced bill to pause all visas, refugee status, and granting of asylum for individuals holding a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority indefinitely — and to revoke others,” they said:

Let’s be clear: using the full power of the state to target and persecute a particular ethnic group or nationality is fascism and pure bigotry. This legislation—by a former cabinet official no less—directly violates the U.S. Constitution, and would illegally destroy the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian immigrants who live in and contribute to American society.

Though intended to target Muslims, this bill will also hurt Palestinian Christians, who will be targeted by these provisions. History will harshly judge this xenophobic, punitive, and unconstitutional measure. [Emphasis added]

We call on the leadership of both parties to vocally and specifically condemn these comments and legislation, to make clear that anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate has no place in our politics, and to name it when it happens.

Supreme Court Ruling

Regardless of the assertions that Zinke's legislation is "unconstitutional," the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. Hawaii that the president possesses an exceptionally broad authority to exclude aliens from the United States when he deems it to be in the national interest, per 8 U.S.C. § 1182(f).

House and Senate Democrats have written to President Joe Biden since Zinke introduced the legislation, urging him to grant Palestinians in the United States Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure. The far-left Council on American-Islamic Relations is presently advocating for this policy.

Providing Palestinians with TPS and DED would prevent their deportation from the United States.