New legislation is being proposed that would prevent visa holders who support Hamas or other designated terrorist groups from remaining in the United States. The bill, known as the Terrorist Inadmissibility Codification Act, is sponsored by Representative August Pfluger. It aims to broaden existing laws under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The proposed legislation would ban members of Hamas, Hezbollah, al Qaeda, ISIS, and Palestine Islamic Jihad from entering or staying in the U.S. This would also apply to anyone who expresses support for or promotes the activities of these groups. The bill's sponsor stated that the legislation is necessary to secure U.S. borders against those who wish to harm Americans, citing a rise in antisemitic incidents and pro-Hamas sentiment.
The bill is being introduced in response to a wave of antisemitic attacks following the events in Gaza. The Trump administration has already begun revoking student visas of those involved in pro-Gaza protests. The State Department has also temporarily paused new student visa interviews while it revises its vetting procedures.
Current immigration law already prohibits individuals involved in terrorist activities, members of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, or those who provide material support to such groups from entering the U.S. However, enforcement often relies on case-by-case assessments, requiring evidence of direct involvement or financial aid. The new bill seeks to expand these standards by including the endorsement or promotion of terrorist groups' ideologies as grounds for inadmissibility or deportation.
This could potentially shift immigration enforcement from focusing on actions to scrutinizing speech or associations. Individuals who are not formally affiliated with terrorist organizations could face scrutiny based on their expressed support for such groups. Recent incidents, such as an attack in Boulder, Colorado, and a shooting in Washington, D.C., are believed to be antisemitic in nature, highlighting the concerns that have led to this proposed legislation.
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