Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is urging the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to review every visa application approved from “high-risk countries” under the Biden administration.
In a letter sent to the department on Wednesday, Cotton stated that Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, a native of the Gaza Strip who was recently arrested in Louisiana and charged with being involved in the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, reflects “the extreme danger posed by the previous administration’s policies.”
The Biden administration approved a visa that Al-Muhtadi submitted from Egypt, despite “blatant evidence” on Al-Muhtadi’s social media showing that he was involved in terror activity, Cotton stated.
“Since Oct. 7, 2023, thousands of visa applications from Palestinians have been processed through Egypt, often without adequate review of digital footprints or terrorist watchlist cross-checks,” Cotton wrote. “I urge DHS to conduct an audit of all visas issued through high-risk countries since 2021, prioritizing potential affiliations with Hamas or other designated terrorist groups.”
He also called for the department to better monitor the social media from visa applicants in higher-risk areas and “establish mandatory real-time FBI watchlist checks to ensure no terrorist slips through undetected.” (JNS sought comment from DHS.)
“The safety of Arkansans and all Americans depends on reversing the damage done by Biden’s open border policy,” Cotton stated.
On Tuesday, a delegation of Louisiana Republicans sent a letter to DHS asking how Al-Muhtadi was able to enter the United States and receive permanent resident status in Lafayette, La., “during the Biden administration’s dangerous open borders policy.”
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told JNS that “it is horrifying but sadly not surprising that the Biden-Harris administration permitted an individual who allegedly participated in the cowardly Oct. 7 attacks on our ally Israel, which led to the slaughter of innocent men, women and children, to enter our country.”
“The Biden administration’s failed policies allowed dangerous individuals with terrorist ties from around the world to enter our country, and the committee will continue to focus on fixing the homeland security challenges that persist because of the failures of the last four years,” Garbarino said.
“Thankfully, the Trump administration is working around the clock to identify and remove these individuals before they endanger our communities—but we must remain vigilant amid this evolving and heightened global terror threat landscape,” he told JNS.
