White House rejects calls to revoke visas of pro-Hamas protesters

The White House on Monday pushed back on tough Republican demands to deport foreigners who have joined pro-Palestinian protests, warning that the proposals would fail to pass First Amendment free speech protections. Republican 2024 candidates are competing to see who can crack down the toughest on protesters supporting the Palestinian cause after Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people on Oct. 7.

For example, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (pictured) said the visas of pro-Hamas protesters should be revoked. White House national security spokesman John Kirby was asked if he could send home people who support the Palestinian cause. “I just want to tell you that you don’t have to agree with every sentiment expressed in a free country like this to support the idea of ​​the First Amendment and the idea of ​​peaceful protest,” he told reporters during the daily briefing. “I’ll leave it at that.”

University campuses have been the scene of a series of protests against Israeli action in the Gaza Strip. They have raised questions about whether the treatment of Palestinians was partly responsible for the Hamas attack, and some have characterized the attack as a form of resistance rather than terrorism.

In some cases, Republicans have suggested that anyone who stands up for Palestinians is a supporter of Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the US since 1997.

Last week, 19 Republican lawmakers joined forces to call on foreign students who have expressed support for Hamas to revoke their visas. “We are writing to request information regarding the possible unlawful presence on U.S. soil of non-immigrants who have supported terrorist activities,” they said in a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, made his appearance early last week, promising to revoke the visas of “radical anti-American and anti-Semitic foreigners.” And former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, currently in third place in the race, suggested that state funding for higher education could be cut from institutions that have failed to “manage hate.”

Earlier, a third small aid convoy entered Gaza from Egypt in a last-ditch effort to ease the humanitarian crisis as the enclave runs out of food, water and medicine. Israel had initially resisted any aid deliveries, fearing they would strengthen Hamas. But they began after President Joe Biden visited Tel Aviv last week and promised the shipments would stop if evidence emerged that Hamas was abusing them.

Kirby was asked how the US monitored the convoys to ensure aid reached its intended recipients. He said the US is working with trusted partners. “That’s the way we do it in so many countries around the world where we don’t have a footprint. … we’re not on site to personally inspect these things,” he said.

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