By House Democrats are urging the Trump administration to allow children injured in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war to enter the U.S. for emergency medical care.
In an Aug. 25 letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, more than 140 lawmakers asked for the reversal of a recent move to halt the approval of all visitor visas for people from the Gaza Strip, including children in need of medical care.
‘This pause will deny children the medical care they desperately need. It is wrong to prevent children who are caught in the middle of this horrific conflict from receiving lifesaving medical care,’ the letter reads.
‘In addition, this decision ignores the fact that all Palestinians leaving Gaza for medical treatment or to accompany family members receiving medical treatment are already subject to rigorous vetting by the Israeli government, including an Israeli security clearance, identity verification, and an assessment whether they are linked to Hamas,’ it continued.
The letter comes after the State Department abruptly announced earlier this month that it would stop issuing travel visas to people from Gaza, including medical-humanitarian visas, while it reviewed the process that allowed some of those individuals to enter the U.S. Some had already done so before the pause.
‘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 State Department wrote in a social media post on Aug. 16, without offering additional details.
Rubio has said the change was made after several congressional offices reached out with allegations ‘that some of the organizations bragging about, and involved in, acquiring these visas have strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas.’
‘It’s not just kids, it’s a bunch of adults that are accompanying them,’ Rubio said during an appearance on CBS News’ ‘Face the Nation’ the day after the announcement.
Before the agency’s announcement, several children from Gaza arrived in the U.S. to receive medical treatment ‘without incident,’ the House Democrats wrote in the letter.
‘We appeal to you to immediately reverse the State Department’s decision and resume allowing those from Gaza with approved temporary medical-humanitarian visas to enter the United States to receive the lifesaving care they need,’ the lawmakers wrote to Rubio.
The letter asks Rubio to specify the national security concerns that sparked the change to visa approvals. The lawmakers also requested a timeline for the agency’s review process and asked what safeguards are being considered to prevent the disruption of emergency medical care programs.
The Democrats also called on the department to allow children from Gaza requiring emergency medical attention to be exempt from the pause.
‘We would appreciate any clarification regarding the policy’s basis and a reassessment of its impact on vulnerable individuals and families in desperate need,’ the letter reads.