Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the Biden administration to deport foreign nationals who have expressed support for Hamas.
Cotton, in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, wrote: "The appalling explosion of antisemitism in the United States over the past few weeks should disturb anyone who shares American values. While American citizens may have a First Amendment right to speak disgusting vitriol if they so choose, no foreign national has a right to advocate for terrorism in the United States.
"I write to urge you to immediately deport any foreign national — including and especially any alien on a student visa — that has expressed support for Hamas and its murderous attacks on Israel. These fifth-columnists have no place in the United States.
"Federal law is clear that any alien who 'endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization' is inadmissible and must be deported.
"Swiftly removing and permanently barring from future reentry any foreign student who signed onto or shared approvingly the antisemitic letter from the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee on October 7 would be a good place to start."
On Sunday, just a day before he sent the letter to Mayorkas, Cotton had slammed former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who has been nominated as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, as an "Iran sympathizer" who should not hold the post and said the Senate should not expedite his nomination, let alone confirm him for the post.
"Jack Lew is an Iran sympathizer who has no business being our ambassador," Cotton told "Fox News Sunday." "It's bad for the United States. It's bad for Israel to have an Iran sympathizer as our ambassador to that country."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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