Who is Ryan Zinke? GOP Rep proposes bill banning Palestinians from entering US
HELENA, MONTANA: Ryan Zinke, a member of the Republican Party and the Representative of Montana, introduced a bill on Thursday, November 2, known as the Safeguarding Americans from Extremism Act. Zinke has been part of Congress since 2014 and is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations in his third term as a Congressman.
The bill introduced by him, if approved, could ban Palestinians from entering the United States and could potentially lead to the expulsion of those already residing in the country amid the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Under the proposed legislation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be mandated to halt the granting of visas, asylum, and refuge to individuals holding a Palestinian Authority-issued passport. Additionally, it calls for the revocation of visas or entry rights for individuals who arrived in the US after October 1.
What led to the introduction of the new Safeguarding Americans from Extremism (SAFE) bill?
This proposed legislation comes after a group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in October calling for the revocation and potential deportation of students on temporary student visas who expressed support for Hamas.
This followed the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, which claimed the lives of over 1,400 people.
Rep Ryan Zinke stresses the bill's necessity for national security
In introducing the bill, Rep Zinke emphasized, “This legislation keeps America safe. I don’t trust the Biden Administration any more than I do the Palestinian Authority to screen who is allowed to come into the United States. This is the most anti-Hamas immigration legislation I have seen and it’s well deserved."
"Given the circumstances, the threats to our immigration system and the history of terrorists abusing refugee, asylum and visa processes all over the world, the requirements in this bill are necessary to keep Americans safe. This bill does exactly that,” he added.
Safeguarding Americans from Extremism Bill's impact on immigration policies
The bill currently has the support of ten co-sponsors, including Representatives Andy Harris (R-Md), Aaron Bean (R-Fla), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn), Clay Higgins (R-La), Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Bill Posey (R-Fla), Barry Moore (R-Ala), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz).
The bill further prohibits the DHS Secretary, Mayorkas, from granting Temporary Protected Status to individuals with Palestinian Authority-issued passports, along with refugee status and asylum.
It further directs the DHS to collaborate with Customs Enforcement and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to "identify" and potentially remove individuals "without lawful status, including newly revoked status."