The US has halted nearly all visitor visas for Palestinian passport holders, a sweeping move that effectively bars thousands from entering the country for education, business, or medical care. The policy, detailed in an Aug. 18 State Department cable, goes beyond the recent freeze on visas for Gazans and now affects Palestinians from the West Bank and diaspora as well. The suspension covers visas for medical care, university study, family visits, and business travel, and applies to anyone using a Palestinian passport, though not to those with dual citizenship or existing valid visas, per the New York Times.
The administration has not publicly explained the timing of the move, but it follows announcements by several US allies about their intentions to recognize a Palestinian state—a development Israel opposes and some American officials have criticized. It also comes after far-right activist and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer claimed, without evidence, that Gazans brought to the US for medical treatment posed "a national security threat." "Every visa decision is a national security decision, and the State Department is vetting and adjudicating visa decisions for PA passport holders accordingly," a rep for the department tells CNN.
The visa freeze relies on broad use of section 221-G of the Immigration and Nationality Act, a process usually reserved for requesting additional documentation but now used to halt virtually all Palestinian applications. Some former officials describe the action as tantamount to a blanket ban. Critics, including ex-State Department spokesperson Hala Rharrit and former lead ICE attorney Kerry Doyle, have questioned the administration's transparency and rationale, with Doyle asking whether the move is meant to "to support the position of Israel and/or to avoid uncomfortable issues being raised when folks get here if they speak out about the issues over the war," per the Times.
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