Shame on Rep. Zinke and Senator Daines for their recent bills proposing blanket prohibitions on Palestinian entry to the U.S.
Are they forgetting that a majority of Gazans do not support Hamas, and that a majority of Palestinians do not even live in Gaza? They also ignore the fact that the U.S. routinely runs background checks on all asylum-seekers.
By all means, suspected terrorists should be refused entry. But by singling out an entire vulnerable population, these bills fuel racism and do a disservice to America’s international reputation. Neither outcome is conducive to lasting peace. As the asylum cap this year still has room for tens of thousands refugees fleeing persecution and devastation, surely there is room in our “city on the hill” for oppressed Gazans who have lost so much since Oct. 7.
