Florida GOP Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to the State Department requesting a review and coordination effort to revoke visas of those endorsing or espousing Hamas’ terrorist activity on U.S. soil.
The State Department confirmed their authority to revoke visas and deport Hamas supporters.
“As you are aware, the Secretary of State designated Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act on October 8, 1997,” the State Department stated.
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
“Our first priority when adjudicating visa applications is to ensure applicants do not pose a security risk to the United States. Every prospective traveler to the United States undergoes extensive security screening.”
“This screening draws on information from the full range of U.S. government agencies, including biographic and biometric screening against U.S. law enforcement and counterterrorism databases. No visa is issued until all concerns raised by the screening process are fully resolved.”
“The Department of State also has broad authority under the INA to revoke visas. 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 into U.S. government databases and revoking visas if deemed appropriate.”
Rubio tweeted about the confirmation, urging the State Department to take action.
“State Department confirms they have the power to revoke the visas of Hamas supporters and deport them. Now they need to do it,” Rubio posted.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of an increased threat level against Americans in the U.S. due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, with various terror groups leveraging the conflict for messaging and propaganda.
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