


A House Democrat is drafting a measure to condemn Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) over his bill to expel Palestinians from the United States, decrying the effort as dangerous rhetoric that could lead to violence.
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) is preparing the resolution to condemn Zinke and his legislation and is seeking to gather signatures of support from both sides of the aisle, a spokesperson in Landsman's office told the Washington Examiner. It would differ from recent censure resolutions brought forth by other lawmakers, including one that passed Wednesday to rebuke Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over anti-Israel remarks, as it would not be filed as a "privileged resolution" to force a vote on the floor.
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The forthcoming resolution comes in response to a bill introduced by Zinke last week seeking to prevent “Palestinian terrorists” from entering the country by halting the Department of Homeland Security from issuing visas or granting asylum to people 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.
The bill would also bar 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 Palestinians who entered the country on or after Oct. 1.
The legislation would direct DHS to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to “identify and remove” any people “without lawful status,” including those whose status is newly revoked.
The proposal received immediate pushback from Muslim Democrats, who denounced the move as "fascism and pure bigotry." However, Zinke defended the bill as "the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation" being introduced in Congress.
"And it’s well deserved," he said in a statement. "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.”
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It’s unclear whether Zinke's bill will be considered on the House floor. Even if it did pass the House, it’s unlikely to make any headway in the Democratic-led Senate.
A spokesperson for Zinke has not responded to a request for comment by the Washington Examiner regarding Landsman's resolution.