A group of Republican Representatives has issued a letter to President Joe Biden, asserting that he lacks the legal authority to facilitate the immigration of Palestinians from Gaza to the United States through a parole pipeline.
Representatives Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Clay Higgins (R-LA) are the signatories of this letter, which urges the President to reject the idea of resettling Palestinians in American communities.
This issue has been met with silence from the White House, despite the vocal support for such a plan from Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). The Republican Representatives argue in their letter that there is no legal basis for granting categorical parole to a group of foreign nationals, a move that President Biden has made for Afghans and Ukrainians in the past two years.
The Representatives state, " we are deeply opposed to any potential attempts to parole into the U.S. Palestinians en masse following Israels counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza." They further remind the President that the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) prohibits the categorical parole of large groups of aliens into the U.S.
The Representatives cite Section 212 (d)(5)(A) of the INA, which sets strict limits on the Department of Homeland Security's ability to parole aliens into the U.S., stating that such action may only be done "on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit." They also refer to Section 212 (d)(5)(B) of the INA, which states that parole of an individual alien into the U.S. can only occur if "the [Secretary] determines that compelling reasons in the public interest" exist.
The Representatives also refer to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General report on Operation Allies Refuge, which contradicts President Biden's claim that Afghans paroled by his administration "already completed extensive background checks." The report found that information from many Afghan refugees, such as "name, date of birth, identification number, and travel document data, was inaccurate, incomplete or missing."
The Republican Representatives suggest that President Biden should "encourage Egypt to take in Palestinian refugees," which would allow them to reside in a culturally similar country, separate them from Hamas, and simultaneously protect Americans from potential harm.
The Representatives conclude their letter by stating, "At this critical time, our nation must remain committed to defending our homeland. We remind you that you do not have the authority to grant parole en masse as specified under existing U.S. law. We oppose any efforts to parole into the U.S. any Palestinians from Gaza."
This letter comes at a time when Republicans across the U.S. are calling on President Biden to publicly oppose the resettlement of Palestinians in American communities and commit to deporting foreign visa-holders who express pro-Hamas views.
As reported by Breitbart News, Representatives Ogles and Tom Tiffany (R-WI) have introduced the "GAZA Act" to prohibit the Biden administration from importing Palestinians to the U.S. Last week, Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), introduced the legislation in the Senate.
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