Senator Marco Rubio is trying to fast-track a resolution to revoke the visas of foreign nationals living in the US who support the terrorist group Hamas or its allies.
Rubio (R-Fla.) plans to seek unanimous consent in the Senate to approve the resolution, which would ask President Biden to carry out the deportations, Fox News reported.
Specifically, the resolution calls for the deportation of “any foreign national who has supported or condoned the terrorist activities of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah” and other groups.
“America is the most generous nation on earth, but we cannot allow foreign nationals who support terrorist groups like Hamas and march in our streets calling for an ‘intifada’ to enter or remain in our country,” Rubio told the outlet.
His resolution stressed that Hamas “terrorists operate death squads tasked with exterminating Jews, as well as hostage-taking squads tasked with kidnapping Jews for ransom, propaganda, and torture”.
As vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Rubio is widely regarded as one of the Republican Party’s leading voices on foreign policy.
Other Republicans have echoed similar sentiments.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday calling for the deportation of foreigners in the US who support Hamas.
“I am writing to urge you to immediately deport any foreign national – including and especially any foreign national on a student visa – who has expressed support for Hamas and its murderous attacks on Israel,” Cotton wrote.
“These fifth columnists have no place in the United States.”
Former President Donald Trump also called for “strong ideological vetting of all immigrants” on Monday, in a renewed push for a travel ban.
But there were concerns that such a policy could have unintended consequences.
“I simply don’t trust the federal government to create and administer ‘ideological screening’ to prevent terrorism,” Christina Pushaw, the rapid response director for the Ron DeSantis campaign, wrote on X Tuesday.
“It would likely end up being used against conservative Americans and anyone who disagrees with the narrative. And a terrorist who wants to come here could just lie about their beliefs.”
Rubio and Cotton’s push follows widespread pro-Hamas demonstrations in the US following the jihadist attack on southern Israel on 7 October.
“We, the undersigned student organisations, hold the Israeli regime fully responsible for the unfolding violence,” said a letter signed by more than 30 Harvard University student organisations last week.
The letter argued that the Hamas attack “did not happen in a vacuum” and that Israel had imposed “an open-air prison for over two decades” on Palestinians living in Gaza.
The Hamas attack killed more than 1,300 people in Israel, including at least 30 Americans.
A further 13 US citizens are unaccounted for, some of whom are believed to be held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
