Did US halt Gaza medical visas based on far-right activist Laura Loomer's online posts?
The decision, announced on social media platform X, has drawn sharp criticism from human rights advocates and pro-Palestinian organisations, and even among some republicans.
US Representative Chip Roy, of Texas, saying he would inquire about the matter and Representative Randy Fine, of Florida, described it as a "national security risk".
Check out the US Department's post below:
All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days.
— Department of State (@StateDept) August 16, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the move, saying it was the latest sign of the "intentional cruelty" of the Trump administration.
The US issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas — used for tourism and medical purposes — to holders of Palestinian Authority travel document so far in 2025, according to an analysis of monthly figures provided on the department's website. That figure includes 640 visas issued in May. These documents are issued to residents of both the West Bank and Gaza, although the breakdown between the two regions was not disclosed.
According to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, the visa freeze will have "devastating and irreversible" consequences. The US-based nonprofit called on the Trump administration to 'reverse this dangerous and inhumane decision".
"This policy will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment—a mission that has defined our work for more than 30 years," the organisation said in a statement.
Medical evacuations are a lifeline for the children of Gaza who would otherwise face unimaginable suffering or death due to the collapse of medical infrastructure in the war-torn territory.
Laura Loomer's online posts
The visa halt comes in the wake of social media posts by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who condemned the humanitarian visa programme and urged the Trump administration to end it.
Check out some of her social media posts below:
Loomer later took credit for influencing the policy change and publicly thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for pausing the programme. Republican lawmakers, including Representatives Chip Roy and Randy Fine, expressed national security concerns following Loomer's claims that Palestinian "refugees" had recently entered the US.
Check out her post below:
Meanwhile, tech entrepreneur Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, compared Loomer's activism to historical anti-refugee sentiment, writing: 'If Laura Loomer had been around in 1940, she'd have tried to stop Jewish refugees from entering the US."
Check out his social media post below:
As the visa policy faces ongoing scrutiny, the conversation around who gets access to refuge—and who decides—remains a defining issue in the evolving landscape of US immigration and foreign policy.
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