The US has halted all visitor visas for Palestinians, including those for children injured in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza and seeking medical care, amid growing pressure from right-wing influencers.
“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.
The US has so far issued 640 visas to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document in May, according to Reuters news agency. B1/B2 visitor visas allow Palestinians to seek medical treatment in the US.
The move has sparked global criticism.
The suspension of visas comes at a time when Israel has stepped up its assault on Gaza, where more than 61,800 people have died over the past 22 months, more than half of it being women and children. Of this at least 235, including 106 children, have died due to starvation, amid Israel's continuous blockade of humanitarian aid into the territory.
Confirming that at least 100 children have died of hunger and malnutrition in Gaza, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said, "Children are children. No one should stay silent when children die, or are brutally deprived of a future, wherever these children are, including in Gaza."
In a post on X, Lazzarini informed that Israel has so far killed and injured at least 40,000 children in various attacks across Gaza.
Besides, at least 17,000 children have been orphaned or separated from their families and over 1 million have been deeply traumatized due to the relentless genocidal attacks and are out of education.
Israel has also targeted and killed over 270 journalists, over 1000 healthcare workers and aid workers.