A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official in charge of determining asylum decisions has received administrative leave after revelations of her previous employment with the PLO and a huge collection of bigoted social-media postings.
Nejwa Ali has worked at the Department of Homeland Security since July 2019, transferring into a position as Adjudication Officer for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) in January. In an article on the Daily Wire published on Oct. 18, Luke Rosiak, the publication’s investigative reporter, presented a broad range of Ali’s social-media opinions, ranging from overt antisemitism and militant anti-Zionism to open support for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In response to the infiltration into southern Israel on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists, who murdered 1,400 people, wounded more than 4,000 and took some 200 hostages, Ali shared an image of a terrorist parachuting into Israel and wrote, “F*** Israel and any Jew who supports Israel.” She also shared antisemitic images, including of a Jewish nose.
The Daily Wire cited Ali’s anti-Zionism as a potential cause of bias in her work for DHS, given her comments that “Israeli, American privilege is disgusting. When Israelis acknowledge the government and military are solely responsible for the attack. Period,” and “I hold every Israeli accountable for their governments [sic] actions, IF they do not speak against Israel.”
From 2014 through 2015, before her positions with the PLO and DHS, Ali also worked as an intern for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the organization that has long come under fire for its Hamas ties and recent scrutiny for receiving $75 million in U.S. funds four days before the attack.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) responded to news of Ali’s suspension, writing: “Now explain how she got hired in the first place, and what laws she broke by advocating for terrorism as a government employee.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called Ali’s words “indefensible” and said “this antisemitic radical should be fired immediately.”
