Palestinians could be banned from entering the United States, and those who are already in the country could be at risk of being expelled under a new bill proposed by House Republicans this week. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) introduced the Safeguarding Americans from Extremism Act on Thursday, seeking to prevent Palestinian terrorists from entering the country by halting the Department of Homeland Security from issuing visas or granting asylum to individuals seeking to enter the country with a Palestinian Authority passport. The bill would also expel any immigrants who were granted visas or entered the country on or after Oct. 1. I dont trust the Biden administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States, Zinke said. This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I have seen, and its well deserved. Given the circumstances, the threats to our immigration system, and the history of terrorists abusing refugee, asylum, and visa processes all over the world, the requirements in this bill are necessary to keep Americans safe. This bill does exactly that. The bill would also bar the DHS from granting Palestinians temporary protected status or refugee status, according to the legislation. Additionally, the DHS secretary would be prohibited from paroling immigrants and would revoke any parole granted to Palestinian individuals who entered the country on or after Oct. 1. The legislation would direct the DHS to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to identify and remove any individuals without lawful status, including those whose status is newly revoked. The bill has 10 co-sponsors, including Reps. Andy Harris (R-MD), Aaron Bean (R-FL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Bill Posey (R-FL), Barry Moore (R-AL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Its not yet clear whether the bill would be considered on the House floor, but its likely to receive pushback and criticism from Democrats. Even if it did pass the House, its unlikely to make any headway in the Democrat-led Senate. The bill comes after House Republicans introduced a similar bill last month seeking to block the Biden administration from granting visas to individuals with Palestinian passports. However, this legislation takes it a step further by blocking access to the country and removing those who had entered the country after Israel entered into a war against the Hamas militant group.
Ah, nothing like banning everything that makes you afraid. Truly brave people.