Following the attack that Hamas terrorists carried out against Israel, Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas requested that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deport any foreign nationals who have voiced support for Hamas. Cotton sent a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, encouraging him to implement a federal statute that demands the deportation of foreign nationals who encourage or support acts associated with terrorism.
Cotton stressed that those who have shown sympathy for Hamas and its deadly attacks on Israel should not be permitted to remain in the United States. This includes persons who are currently in the country on student visas. He referred to a provision in federal law that makes it quite clear that an immigrant who supports or advocates for terrorist activities or who convinces others to engage in such behavior is inadmissible and must be deported.
At the beginning of October, in response to an attack carried out by Hamas against Israel, thousands of people in the United States flocked to the streets to voice their solidarity with Palestinians and their disapproval of Israel. Many student organizations and instructors at American campuses have expressed their sympathy for Palestinians while downplaying the role that Hamas plays in terrorist attacks. Cotton brought out the fact that several student organizations, such as the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee, have gained backing from other student organizations and issued statements condemning Israel for the violence and crimes done by Hamas.
Cotton pleaded with Mayorkas to move swiftly to expel and permanently prohibit international students who had backed the anti-Israel declaration that was distributed by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee. He expressed worry over the rise in anti-Semitic events in the United States and underlined that although American residents may have rights under the First Amendment to express their views, foreign nationals do not have the right to advocate for terrorism in the United States. He expressed concern over the rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States. He emphasized that while American citizens may have rights under the First Amendment to express their views.