Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday demanding his administration halt their proposed plan to accept Gazan refuges into the United States.
"With more than a third of Gazans supporting the Hamas militants, we are not confident that your administration can adequately vet this high-risk population for terrorist ties and sympathies before admitting them into the United States," the letter stated.
Thirty-four other senators joined Ernst in criticizing the proposal that seeks to assign refugee status to certain Palestinians trapped in war-torn Gaza.
The White House is considering a plan to allow a limited number of Palestinian refugees safe haven in the United States, CBS News reported Wednesday. The proposal would seek out those Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent residents.
The senators expressed their frustration the Biden administration is moving to relocate Gazans into the U.S. while there are still American hostages held by Hamas.
"We demand that your administration cease planning for accepting Gazan refugees until you adequately answer our concerns and focus your attention instead on securing the release of U.S. hostages held by Hamas," the letter continued.
The U.S. "has helped more than 1,800 American citizens and their families leave Gaza, many of whom have come to the United States," a White House spokesperson told CBS News. "At President Biden's direction, we have also helped, and will continue to help, some particularly vulnerable individuals, such as children with serious health problems and children who were receiving treatment for cancer, get out of harm's way, and receive care at nearby hospitals in the region."
The senators cited the open southern border of the U.S. and the already 169 people on the FBI terror watch list that were apprehended in 2023.
"Given your administration's abject failure at countering the flow of potential terrorists at our border, how can Congress trust your administration to adequately vet the refugees crossing the Egypt-Gaza border, located nearly 6,000 miles away from Washington, D.C.?" the letter questioned.
CBS News noted, if the proposed plan goes forward to resettle large numbers of Palestinians, it would mark a major shift in the U.S. refugee program. Over the past decade, of the nearly 400,000 war refugees admitted into the U.S., fewer than 600 were Palestinian.
The senators are urging the administration to clarify their vetting and approval process and suspend their plan until more is known about the refugees.
The senators also demanded the administration's efforts in Gaza be focused on saving the remaining American hostages held by Hamas.
The senators requested a response from the White House by May 5.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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