In response to news that the U.S. State Department is “suspending the issuance of all visitor visas for people from the war-torn Gaza Strip, including children in need of urgent medical care,” Today, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued the following statement:
“Donald Trump promised to secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in his first week in office, and now Secretary Rubio is compounding this administration’s failure of leadership with a policy that leaves Gazans who qualify for temporary medical and humanitarian visas— including seriously injured children and civilians who have been caught in the crossfire through no fault of their own— without this lifesaving recourse. Throughout this conflict, my office has relied on crucial humanitarian tools like this one to save innocent lives, and I have worked closely with the State Department under both the Trump and Biden Administrations to evacuate individuals in critical need of medical care and improve access to humanitarian aid and medical personnel and services in Gaza. Secretary Rubio must immediately reinstate the use of these temporary medical and humanitarian visas so we can save lives now and double down on the work needed to achieve a just and lasting peace in the region.”