Homeland Security’s legal immigration agency said Wednesday that it “condemns antisemitism” after a report that one of its employees is a former operative for the Palestinian Liberation Organization who posts anti-Israel screeds online.
The Daily Wire identified the employee as Nejwa Ali and said she has been posting for years in support of Palestinian causes and has intensified those comments in the wake of Hamas’s horrific sneak attack on Israel earlier this month.
According to her LinkedIn profile, she serves as an adjudication officer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and before that was an asylum officer at the agency.
“USCIS strongly condemns antisemitism and the use of violent rhetoric in any form. USCIS employees are held to high ethical standards both on and off duty, including their presence on social media. Any violation of these standards is taken seriously by the agency,” said Matthew Bourke, a spokesperson for the agency.
He did not name the employee, nor did he say whether consequences have been delivered in this case.
Ms. Ali’s online profile says she was responsible for ruling on immigration cases at Homeland Security and helped guide new hires.
She began as an asylum officer in July 2019 and started as an adjudication officer at the start of this year.
Her LinkedIn profile used to list her role as a public affairs officer for the PLO’s delegation to the U.S. in 2016 and 2017. The U.S. listed the PLO as a designated terrorist organization in 1987.
Ms. Ali’s LinkedIn public page no longer included the PLO mention as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Daily Wire reported that Ms. Ali had posted images of Hamas militants and, after the initial Hamas attack, wrote on Instagram: “F*** Israel, the government, and its military. Are you ready for your downfall?”
“She should be terminated,” said Emilio Gonzalez, who ran USCIS in the Bush administration.
He was stunned that she was hired in the first place, given her background.
“The PLO is a designated foreign terrorist organization,” he said. “The fact that she worked for them and then was hired by the Department of Homeland Security tells me that somebody dropped the ball with her background checks.”
USCIS said applicants are “thoroughly vetted” and face “extensive” background checks before being hired for a permanent position.
The agency also said its handbook directs employees not to post anything to social media that is “discriminatory, obscene, harassing or intimidating.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.