A few days after President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly considered opening the U.S. to import Palestinians as refugees, immigration experts have issued a warning that the plan would pose a threat to the U.S.
“This is an absurd plan that places woke ideology above the public safety and national security concerns of American citizens,” Matt O’Brien, director of investigations for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, said.
O’Brien also said the plan would set America up for a large-scale national security disaster.
“The smarter thing to do would be to arrange for a third country in the Middle East to provide temporary refuge to any Gazans who are allegedly in need of protection,” he said. “But allowing Gazans into the U.S. in large numbers will only set America up for a large-scale national security disaster.”
Instead of acting in our national interest, President Biden wants to ramp up the dangerous trend of bringing in unvetted and potentially dangerous individuals who hate us.https://t.co/StkvAg1M2Q
— National Immigration Center for Enforcement (@NICEnforcement) May 6, 2024
Recently, the GOP senators sent a letter to Biden demanding he stop his proposed plan. The letter was led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the number three GOP leader, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) and 34 colleagues.
“We are confused as to why the U.S. is willing to accept Gazan refugees when even nearby Arab countries supportive of the Palestinian cause refuse to take them in due to security concerns,” the senators wrote.
The GOP senators call for Biden to prioritize securing the release of American hostages over accepting Palestinians as refugees.
“We demand that your administration cease planning for accepting Gazan refugees until you adequately answer our concerns and focus your attention instead on securing the release of U.S. hostages held by Hamas,” the senators wrote.
The senators’ letter also demanded answers on how many Gazans the administration plans to accept and how exactly applicants will be screened to ensure no one with terrorist sympathies is allowed into the U.S.
However, according to the inter-agency planning documents, top U.S. officials have discussed getting additional Palestinians out of Gaza and processing them as refugees if they have American relatives.
The plan would require collaboration with Egypt, which has so far refused to welcome large numbers of people from Gaza.
According to the plan, those who pass a series of eligibility, medical and security screenings would qualify to fly to the U.S. with refugee status, which offers beneficiaries permanent residency, resettlement benefits like housing assistance, and a path to American citizenship.
