House Democrats urge Rubio to admit injured Gaza kids after visa halt
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Over 140 House Democrats demand that the State Department lift the Gaza medical visa ban, citing urgent care needs for children injured in the war.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives for a joint press conference with President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025 (AP)
House Democrats urged the Trump administration to permit the entry of children who had been injured in Gaza during the Israeli war on the Strip, after visas to Palestinians from Gaza were halted by the Department of State, citing "national security concerns".
In an Aug. 25 letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, over 140 lawmakers requested the reversal of a recent policy that halted the approval of all visitor visas for individuals from the Gaza Strip, including children who required critical medical treatment.
"This pause will deny children the medical care they desperately need. It is wrong to prevent children who are caught in the middle of this horrific conflict from receiving lifesaving medical care," the letter stated.
It added, "In addition, this decision ignores the fact that all Palestinians leaving Gaza for medical treatment or to accompany family members receiving medical treatment are already subject to rigorous vetting by the Israeli government, including an Israeli security clearance, identity verification, and an assessment whether they are linked to Hamas."
"We appeal to you to immediately reverse the State Department’s decision and resume allowing those from Gaza with approved temporary medical-humanitarian visas to enter the United States to receive the lifesaving care they need," the letter said.
In the letter, the lawmakers asked Rubio to specify the national security concerns that had prompted the change in visa policy, requested a timeline for the agency's review process, and inquired about what safeguards were being considered to prevent the disruption of emergency medical care programs.
Allegations of connection to Hamas
This letter followed the State Department's abrupt announcement earlier in the month that it would stop issuing travel visas, including medical-humanitarian visas, to Palestinians from Gaza while it reviewed the process that had allowed some individuals to enter the US, some of whom had already done so before the pause.
Rubio explained that the policy change was implemented after several congressional offices contacted the department with allegations that some of the organizations that had publicly boasted about and were involved in securing these visas maintained strong links to groups, such as Hamas.
The decision by the State Department followed an incisive campaign by far-right provocateur Laura Loomer, who built her career on hate and weaponizing Islamophobia for political clout.
On August 15, Loomer posted videos of severely wounded Palestinian children, including amputees who had been flown in to receive prosthetic limbs, arriving in US hospitals this month. Rather than expressing sympathy, she smeared the arrivals as “Islamic invaders from a terror hot zone,” mischaracterized their cries of relief as “jihadi chants,” and mocked them for what she described as “doing the HAMAS terror whistle.”
Her posts, which even tagged Secretary of State Marco Rubio and miscast him as being personally responsible for approving the visas, were not driven by accurate data, as accuracy has never been central to Loomer's strategy.
