After watching the fiasco of the Afghan airlift, Republican lawmakers are demanding assurances that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas won’t attempt a repeat performance with Palestinians seeking to flee the new war between Israel and Hamas.
Reps. Tom Tiffany and Andy Ogles said Mr. Mayorkas has made a habit of using the U.S. immigration system as an outlet for people from the world’s hotspots. They fear he will face pressure to use his “parole” powers to open the border to Palestinians, too.
The lawmakers were particularly troubled that the White House, when asked about plans, said the administration doesn’t envision a new program for Palestinians “at this time.” The Republicans said Mr. Mayorkas must deliver an “unequivocal” statement ruling it out.
“Mr. Secretary, the American people do not want to see this dangerous situation repeated with Palestinians,” the Republicans wrote in a letter obtained first by The Washington Times. “Moreover, they deserve more than a vague assurance from a White House spokesman that the Biden administration hasn’t yet identified a legally dubious mechanism to flood American neighborhoods with foreigners from a region that is a global hotspot for Islamic terrorism.”
The questions have developed in the wake of Hamas’ barbarous sneak attack earlier this month and Israel’s crushing countermeasures, which have displaced hundreds of thousands of residents of Gaza, the Hamas-controlled territory bordering Israel.
One prominent New York Democrat has said the U.S. must open its doors to some of them.
“Fifty percent of the population in Gaza are children,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, in comments reported by the New York Post. “The international community as well as the United States should be prepared to welcome refugees from Palestine while being very careful to vet and not allow members of Hamas.”
The White House, asked over the weekend about a U.S. safety valve for fleeing Palestinians, said it wasn’t the plan as of now.
But the Biden administration has not been shy about using America’s immigration system in nearly every other world hotspot. Mr. Mayorkas has used parole powers to create backdoor immigration routes for people from Venezuela and Cuba to Ukraine and Afghanistan.
The Times has reached out to Homeland Security for this story.
Mr. Tiffany, Wisconsin Republican, and Mr. Ogles, Tennessee Republican, say the worry is that the U.S. has proved not to be very good at vetting under President Biden.
The lawmakers pointed to the chaotic airlift from Afghanistan, where more than 76,000 Afghan citizens were brought to the U.S. as parolees under Mr. Mayorkas’ say-so. That meant they skipped the in-person interview that security analysts say would have helped weed out criminals.
An inspector general also says dozens of people whose names appeared in a secret military terrorism database were also admitted.
The Palestinian situation carries many of the same risks, Republicans say.
Mr. Tiffany and Mr. Ogles have announced they will team up on a bill to prohibit the government from issuing visas to those holding Palestinian Authority passports. The lawmakers said those documents cannot be trusted.
They are part of a growing number of Republicans who say America’s immigration system is vulnerable.
Concerns about Hamas operatives or other attackers with ties to Iran sneaking into the U.S. through the porous southern border have soared.
Fox News reporter Griff Jenkins said on social media platform X on Monday that he had confirmed two Iranians encountered at the border earlier this month triggered warnings from the terrorist watchlist.
At the same time, a growing number of Republicans are calling on the administration to use the immigration law to deliver consequences to Hamas sympathizers already here in the U.S.
The latest to join the chorus is former President Donald Trump, who on Monday night said if elected again he would deploy deportation officers to “pro-jihadist” rallies and “aggressively deport” foreigners in the U.S. who show sympathy for Hamas.
Emilio Gonzalez, who ran U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Bush administration, told The Times on Friday that schools should expel foreign students if they took part in pro-Hamas rallies. Once expelled, their visas are supposed to be canceled and they can be ousted.
College campuses have been the scene of rallies that could be construed as support for Hamas’s murderous attack on Israel.
Mr. Gonzalez said the U.S. can also revoke visas for guest workers who rally for Hamas.
And he said legal permanent residents, or green card holders, found to be backing Hamas should be on notice that it could cost them a chance at U.S. citizenship. Immigration law requires naturalization applicants to demonstrate “good moral character,” and Mr. Gonzalez said cheering on the murders of music festival attendees, or families, can’t be squared with good character.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.