First appearance on FOXAhead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Republicans want to pass a bill to revoke the visas of people who took part in violent protests, such as the anti-Israel and sometimes pro-Hamas demonstrations that erupted on college campuses across the country earlier this year.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) participated in protests at universities and religious sites on Wednesday where he led a bill to revoke immigrant visas for foreign nationals convicted of crimes. The bill would also revoke visas for people convicted of crimes if they deface, vandalize or destroy federal monuments or memorials.
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Cotton introduced the bill on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Anyone who blocks highways, roads, bridges or tunnels as part of a protest will also lose their visa.
“The Biden Administration’s inaction against pro-Hamas violent people has only emboldened extremists. This bill makes clear that a green card does not give individuals the right to break the law in support of anti-Semitic views,” Cotton said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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In the spring, a heavily covered encampment appeared on the campus of Columbia University in New York City in what participants said was a show of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Subsequent demonstrations frequently featured anti-Semitic and anti-Israel sentiments and messages.
On April 22, 2024, anti-Israel activists set up an encampment on the Columbia University campus in New York City. (Peter Gerber)
Israel’s war with the terrorist organization Hamas began in October 2023 after Hamas launched deadly attacks on Israeli civilians, leaving 1,200 people dead and hundreds taken hostage in Gaza. Israel has since launched a counterattack against the terrorist organization and its leaders, who are known for strategically harboring themselves in populated areas and using civilians as human shields.
The demonstration in Colombia received widespread media coverage and sparked dozens of similar camps and protests in schools across the United States.
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Cotton was a vocal critic of the Democratic Party’s stance on Israel. (Fox News)
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Cotton’s latest bill was co-sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), and a companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.).
“For months, pro-Hamas mobs have terrorized communities across America with impunity. Foreigners who come to America to spread anti-Semitism, block highways, and deface statues and other public property must be immediately deported. Senator Cotton and my bill would do just that,” Banks said in a statement.
