Screenshot taken from C-SPAN.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), who was confirmed for his new role leading the State Department in a Senate vote on Monday, said during his confirmation hearing that the federal government should revoke the visas of Hamas supporters staying in the U.S.
The anti-Israel protests that caused chaos on many American campuses following the Oct. 7 massacre frequently saw activists glorify terrorist groups like Hamas. Activists have used pro-Hamas signs, lionized terrorist leaders, and praised the Oct. 7 massacre of Jewish civilians.
In May, 2024, a top Hamas member thanked “the great student flood which emerged from the American, European, and Western universities.”
[RELATED: Guns, pro-terrorist signs and messages found at SJP leaders’ residence]
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) mentioned an op-ed he and Rubio co-wrote regarding visa revocation of terrorist supporters, and asked Rubio “how will [he] enforce our laws to ensure that we remove supporters of terrorist groups from our country.”
“My view on this is one of common sense,” Rubio stated. “If you apply for a visa to come into the United States, and in the process of being looked at, it comes to light that you are a supporter of Hamas, [then] we wouldn’t let you in. If we knew you were a supporter of Hamas, we would not give you a visa. So now that you got the visa and you’re inside the U.S., and now we realize you’re a supporter of Hamas, we should remove your visa.”
“If you could not come in because you’re a supporter of Hamas, you should not be able to stay on a visa because you’re a supporter of Hamas,” he continued. “That’s how I view it. And I think that’s just an issue of common sense, and we intend to be very forceful about that.”
In the op-ed referred to by McMormick, which was published on Oct. 30, 2023 on Fox News, Rubio and McCormick wrote: “Those who incite violence or endorse terrorist activity by supporting Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and attacks against Jews are in violation of the terms of their visas and should no longer be welcomed as guests of America. It really is that simple.”
President Donald Trump has also previously vowed he will “deport the foreign jihad sympathizers, and we will deport them very quickly,” adding that “If you hate America, if you want to eliminate Israel, then we don’t want you in our country.”
Campus Reform has reached out to the State Department for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
