Anti-Woke Caucus Members Call to Deport Hamas Sympathizers
Today, Members of the House Anti-Woke Caucus Reps. Jim Banks (IN-03) and Jeff Duncan (SC-03) sent a letter calling on the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to deport student and foreign exchange visa-holders who have supported Hamas, a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Read their letter HERE.
Said Rep. Banks: “We’ve already had a record number of illegal immigrants from terrorist-harboring nations. We need to shut down our border and then deport all non-citizen Hamas sympathizers. The Biden administration has the legal authority and an obligation to do both—anything less betrays America’s national security.”
Said Rep. Duncan: “America welcomes individuals around the world to follow the legal process to come to America for tourism, work, or academic excellence. However, we specifically prohibit visas to anyone who supports terrorist regimes in Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
“If you support Hamas’ gruesome murder of innocent babies and killing people while they sleep, then you do not get to remain in America and enjoy freedoms that are antithetical to the terrorist extremists you support. Americans refuse to allow antisemitic terrorist sympathizers to create home-grown terrorist cells on our soil. Americans should never support terrorists over innocent people fighting for freedom from oppression.”
“Hamas has killed Americans and is holding our fellow citizens hostage while visa holders celebrate in our streets. I refuse to sit idly by while terrorist supporters dance on the graves of Americans.”
Said Executive Vice President of Heritage Action Ryan Walker: "Videos of the demonstrations, social media posts from the organizers, and common sense all suggest that at least some of the individuals at campus demonstrations that embraced Hamas’s murderous spree of Israel civilians on Oct. 7, hold F-1 Visa (student) or J-1 Visa (exchange visitor) status. By doing so, they have violated the condition under the Immigration and Nationality Act that people “endorse or espouse terrorist activity” be denied visas. We commend Reps. Banks and Duncan for asking the Departments of State and of Homeland Security to revoke the visas of those who are found to be violators."
Co-signers:Reps. August Pfluger, Harriet Hageman, Scott DesJarlais, Michael Waltz, Josh Brecheen, Ralph Norman, Randy Weber, Bill Johnson, Bill Posey, Mike Carey, George Santos, Lauren Boebert, Clay Higgins, Gus Bilirakis, Claudia Tenney, Brian Babin, and Trent Kelly.
Background:
Section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act states that “any alien - who endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization… is inadmissible.” Hamas is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Visa holders who violate Section 212(a) can retroactively lose their visa eligibility and be placed into expedited removal proceedings.