Rubio said he would file a bill that would require the Biden Administration to take away the visas of foreigners who actively support Hamas.
State of Florida In the wake of Hamas’s biggest attack on Israel in decades, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio is asking President Biden to take away visas from people from other countries who back or defend the terror group.
There have been more than 3,200 deaths in the war since Hamas attacked last week, which caused Israeli troops to attack back. A lot more people have been hurt, and Hamas has taken many of them prisoners and raped, tortured, and killed them. Officials from the U.S. State Department said on Saturday that 29 Americans were killed in the violence and that 15 people are still missing.
“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,” Rubio said in a press release.
After the attack on October 7, a lot of people in the United States started to show support for Hamas’s attack on Israel. Some of these rallies took place at schools and universities in the United States. Also, last week, the former head of Hamas’ political office called for Muslims all over the world to protest in the streets and squares in support of the Palestinians and for neighboring countries to join the fight against Israel.
According to Rubio’s press statement, some of the people who planned and took part in the pro-Hamas protests across the U.S. are in the country on visas.
“The Biden Administration has the authority and an obligation under existing law to immediately identify, cancel the visas of, and remove foreign nationals already here in America who have demonstrated support terrorist groups, and in many cases, even celebrated the slaughter of Israeli babies and the rape of Jewish girls,” the senator said.
There have also been comments from pro-Palestinian student groups at Harvard University and other schools that support the violence against Israel. However, many of the universities have condemned the acts of terrorism.
About 30 Harvard student groups make up the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Groups. They released a statement soon after the attack saying, “We, the undersigned student organizations, hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” The statement was later taken down after some groups pulled their names because of negative reactions and after some CEOs asked the university to make the names of the students who signed the statement public.
“In addition to demanding the Biden Administration apply our existing laws, I will introduce legislation to force them to act,” he said.
Rubio said he would introduce legislation that would require the Biden Administration to revoke the visas of foreign nationals who actively support Hamas. He also said he would introduce legislation that would take federal funding away from colleges and universities that allow protests, demonstrations, and other activities that can be “reasonably construed” to support or endorse terrorist activity or persuade others to support or endorse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization.
Hamas was named a foreign terrorist group by the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the State Department in 1997.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs are two other Republicans who have said that the U.S. should not take in refugees from Gaza.
During a campaign stop in Iowa, DeSantis said, “I don’t know what Biden is going to do, but we can’t let refugees from Gaza into this country.” “I’m not going to do that.” Based on how they act, some of them may not be Hamas, but they are all against Jews. All of them don’t think Israel has the right to exist.
