Count Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida among those Republicans who reject importing refugees from Gaza.
“No Gaza refugees in the United States. We are already being invaded by people from our own hemisphere,” the Fort Walton Beach Republican said earlier this week.
Gaetz’s comments coincided with GOP lawmakers filing legislation to block the Biden administration from accepting residents of the Gaza Strip, where Israel is prepared to launch a ground offensive to root out the terrorists of Hamas following the slaughter of more than 1,300 Jews in recent attacks.
In the news: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio Calls For Deporting Hamas Supporters From US
Some Democrats, such as Rep. Jamaal Bowman, have argued America must accept these refugees, who may number as many as 2 million and who seek to flee the combat zone.
Yet leading Republicans, such as Gaetz, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump have announced their opposition to bringing in any Palestinians from the region.
As reported by The Floridian, Republican Reps. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin and Andy Ogles of Tennessee recently filed the Guaranteeing Aggressors Zero Admission, or GAZA, Act, a measure intended to block people with a Palestinian passport from obtaining U.S. immigration visas.
Tiffany said on X, formerly Twitter, that he did not want to see a repeat of the Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
In the news: Florida Gov. DeSantis Slams Nikki Haley For Flip-Flop On Accepting Gaza Refugees
“Following the horrific attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists on innocent Israeli civilians, the last thing America ought to do is trust identity documents issued by the radicals that oversee these territories,” Tiffany said in a statement. “We need to put our security at home first and that starts by closing the door to bad actors who might be seeking to enter our country.”
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Signup for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps