Former President Donald Trump used the ongoing violence in Israel attack and the Gaza Strip to raise worries about immigration into the United States on Monday, vowing to reinstate a visa ban for travelers from mostly Muslim countries.
“As president, I will once again stand strongly with the state of Israel, and we will cut off the money to the terrorists on day one,” Trump stated during a campaign rally in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Trump is vying for the Republican nomination in 2024. He went on to say that he would “reimpose the travel ban on terror-afflicted countries.”
Trump implemented a similar ban shortly after taking office in 2017, preventing travelers from seven nations from entering the country. Human rights organizations were upset, calling the measure harsh and discriminatory. The ban generated furious protests and international criticism, despite Trump’s persistent promotion of it long after he left office.
President Joe Biden reversed Trump’s policy immediately after entering office, but a HuffPost investigation discovered that hundreds of families suffered long after the ban was rescinded.
This weekend, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, prompting the Israeli government to declare war. More than 1,600 people have been murdered on both sides of the battle, and there are fears that the conflict will erupt into a ground offensive in the coming days.
Republicans have used the news to launch an attack on the Biden administration. On Monday, Trump claimed without evidence that “tens of thousands of probable terrorists” have entered the United States since his visa restriction was overturned. The former president and other Republican presidential hopefuls have criticized Biden’s immigration policy, as well as a recent prisoner swap with Iran, a country that has previously supported Hamas.
“I don’t like discussing it, but now I can.” “I went four years without a problem,” Trump stated on Monday. “Because I’m prohibited from traveling.” And Islamic terrorists were not permitted. It was quite difficult for them.”
“The bloodshed and killing we saw this week will never, ever be allowed to happen on American soil,” he said. “Except for the fact that we have now allowed tens of thousands of probable terrorists into this country.”
The FBI, on the other hand, stated on Monday that there was no “specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from Hamas attacks in Israel.”
“We are closely monitoring events and will share relevant information with our state, local, federal, and international law enforcement, intelligence, and homeland security partners,” the agency told Voice of America.
