US suspends visas for Gaza residents after right-wing social media storm

State Department determination comes arsenic Israel’s warfare and induced-famine successful Gaza scope caller extremes, with 61,827 killed truthful far.

The United States has announced that it is halting each visitant visas for radical from Gaza pending a “a afloat and thorough” review, a time aft societal media posts astir Palestinian refugees sparked furious reactions from right-wingers.

The Department of State’s determination connected Saturday came a time aft far-right activistic and Trump state Laura Loomer posted connected X that Palestinians “who assertion to beryllium refugees from Gaza” entered the US via San Francisco and Houston this month.

“How is allowing for Islamic immigrants to travel into the US America First policy?” she said connected X successful a aboriginal post, going connected to study further Palestinian arrivals successful Missouri and claiming that “several US Senators and members of Congress” had texted her to explicit their fury.

Republican lawmakers speaking publically astir the substance included Chip Roy of Texas, who said helium would inquire astir the matter, and Randy Fine of Florida, who described the alleged arrivals arsenic a “national information risk”.

By Saturday, the State Department announced it was stopping visas for “individuals from Gaza” portion it conducted “a afloat and thorough reappraisal of the process and procedures utilized to contented a tiny fig of impermanent medical-humanitarian visas successful caller days”. It did not supply a figure.

All visitant visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped portion we behaviour a afloat and thorough reappraisal of the process and procedures utilized to contented a tiny fig of impermanent medical-humanitarian visas successful caller days.

— Department of State (@StateDept) August 16, 2025

The US issued 640 visas to holders of the Palestinian Authority question papers successful May, according to the Reuters quality agency. B1/B2 visitant visas licence Palestinians to question aesculapian attraction successful the US.

Loomer greeted Saturday’s State Department announcement with glee.

“It’s astonishing however accelerated we tin get results from the Trump administration,” she said connected Saturday, though she aboriginal posted that much needed to beryllium done to “highlight the situation of the penetration happening successful our country”.

While I admit the State Department and @marcorubio issuing this statement, I privation to property adjacent harder to item the situation of the penetration happening successful our country.

The visas and arrivals of GAZANS to US airports isn’t new. This has been drastically expanding successful speed… https://t.co/mI5APTairz

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) August 16, 2025

The determination to chopped visas comes arsenic Israel intensifies its attacks connected Gaza, wherever astatine slightest 61,827 radical person been killed successful the past 22 months, with the United Nations informing that “widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease” are driving a emergence successful famine-related deaths.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing to prehend Gaza City arsenic portion of a takeover of the Strip, forcibly displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to attraction zones.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies