Republican bill proposes to expel, block Palestinians from US
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Rep. Ryan Zinke says the bill is meant to protect Americans from the threat of "Palestinian terrorists", which he claims are abusing the immigration system amid the current attacks on Gaza.
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Then US Secretary of the Interior Representative Ryan Zinke arrives at the US Capitol on Dec. 3, 2018. (AP)
Thursday witnessed legislation introduced by former US Secretary of the Interior and current Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke to ban Palestinians from the United States, mirroring a former proposal by former President Donald Trump’s infamous "Muslim ban."
The bill suggests pausing visas for Palestinians and revoking any visas issued since October 1. Zinke argued it would protect Americans from the threat of "Palestinian terrorists", which he claims are abusing the immigration system amid the current attacks on Gaza.
Zinke was first appointed Secretary of the Department of the Interior under the Trump administration and was elected to the House last year.
In a press release, Zinke said, "I don’t trust the Biden Administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States," adding, "This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I have seen and it’s well deserved."
Read more: State Dept. employee says Biden complicit in Gaza genocide: Axios
The title of Zinke’s press release says, "Zinke Introduces Bill to Expel Palestinians from the United States" and the summary says it would instruct the Department of Homeland Security to "identify and remove covered aliens without lawful status," including those whose lawful status was just taken away.
This week, FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed in front of lawmakers that the attacks on Gaza could lead to more violence in the US, citing threats against Jews and the murder of a 6-year-old Palestinian boy in Illinois last month.
'A terrorist in the House'
While Palestinians face extreme difficulty in entering the US, Israelis now no longer even need a visa to enter the US as a result of a policy updated mere weeks before the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7.
Co-sponsored by 10 other members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, the bill is expected to see no chance of becoming law, but will eventually portray a potential escalation of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim rhetoric from the right.
One of the bill’s co-sponsors, Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), attempted to persuade the House to consider a censure resolution against Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) who is the only Palestinian American in Congress - calling her "a terrorist in the House of Representatives".
The House ended up rejecting the attempted resolution, which also falsely claimed that Tlaib led an "insurrection" of anti-"Israel" in a House office building last month.
Read more: US 'monstrous disregard for Palestinian lives': Voices from within
Democrats in Michigan, a state that President Joe Biden almost surely can't afford to lose in 2024, have already expressed concern that the way he has handled the current war in Gaza may cost him the election.
