GOP looks to revoke visas from participants in violent protests ahead of Netanyahu address

FIRST ON FOX: Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, Republicans are hoping to advance legislation that would revoke visas from people who participate in violent protests, such as anti-Israel and sometimes pro-Hamas demonstrations that took place earlier this year on college campuses across the country. 

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., led the introduction of a bill on Wednesday that would strip noncitizens of their immigration visas if they are participants in demonstrations at universities or religious institutions and convicted of crimes during them. It would additionally strip visas from those convicted of crimes when federal monuments or memorials are defaced, vandalized or destroyed. 

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Those who block highways, roads, bridges or tunnels as a form of protest would also lose their visas. 

"The Biden administration’s inaction against pro-Hamas mobs has only emboldened these extremists. This bill makes clear that a green card does not give individuals the right to break our laws in support of anti-Semitic views," Cotton said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

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In the spring, a highly covered encampment sprung up on Columbia University's campus in New York City, which participants said was to express solidarity for Palestinian people in Gaza. The resulting demonstrations frequently featured antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment and messaging. 

The war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas began in October 2023 following the latter's fatal attack on Israeli civilians, leaving 1,200 dead and hundreds taken as hostages in Gaza. Israel has since launched a counterattack against the terrorist group and its leaders, who strategically hide out in densely populated areas and are known for using civilians as human shields. 

The demonstration at Columbia was covered extensively by the media and dozens of similar encampments and protests followed at schools across the U.S. 

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Cotton's latest legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Ted Budd, R-N.C., and a companion version was introduced by Rep. Jim Banks, R–Ind., in the House. 

"For months, pro-Hamas rioters have terrorized communities across the U.S. without consequence. Foreigners who come here to spread antisemitism, block highways, and deface statues and other public property must be deported immediately. Senator Cotton’s and my bill would do exactly that," Banks said in a statement.