US halts issuing visas for Palestinian children seeking medical aid after right-wing campaign
'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,' the Department of State said in a message posted on X.
The move came after far-right influencer and President Donald Trump's ally, Laura Loomer, who described herself as a "proud Islamophobe," posted on X that Palestinians 'who claim to be refugees from Gaza' had entered the US via San Francisco and Houston this month.
In her post, she claimed that the children reaching US for medical care were shouting 'jihadi chants' and 'doing the HAMAS terror whistle.'
'How is allowing for Islamic immigrants to come into the US America First policy?' she wrote on X, adding that Palestinians had arrived in Missouri and claiming that 'several US Senators and members of Congress' had texted her to express their fury.
Loomer's demand was backed by Republican lawmakers Chip Roy of Texas and Randy Fine of Florida.
Fine called the arrivals a 'national security risk,' while Roy said he would inquire about the matter.
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