A Tennessee lawmaker is taking aim at foreign students who participate in American campus protests.
Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee indicated that a bill he filed Wednesday is aimed at pro-Hamas students who have participated in this spring’s spate of anti-Israel protests, according to the Daily Caller.
The bill would revoke the visa of a student “arrested for rioting or unlawful protest,” or who authorities have “arrested while establishing, participating in, or promoting an encampment” at a college.
It would also mandate six months of “community service” in Gaza.
🚨My message is clear: if you’re a student visa holder rioting AGAINST American values and FOR Hamas terrorists, you can go study abroad in Gaza.
Read more about my latest bill.👇 https://t.co/UekRTahnEY
— Rep. Andy Ogles (@RepOgles) May 8, 2024
Ogles said the protests have crossed a line.
“These antisemitic, anti-America riots have wreaked havoc and chaos on campuses, leading to the cancellation of commencements and in-person classes. It is unacceptable that we would allow non-Americans to terrorize our institutions of higher learning,” he said.
“It’s time to send a clear message to foreign, Hamas-sympathizing students rioting: if you bring chaos to our universities, you can study abroad somewhere else. Might I recommend Iran, Qatar, or Gaza? They seem more your speed,” he added.
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Ogles said those who are allowed into America to study have an obligation to respect the nation giving them an unparalleled education.
“The ability to receive higher education in the United States is truly a privilege. Previously known for their prestige and unparalleled academics, many elite American universities have damaged their hard-earned reputations by opening their doors to impressionable terrorist sympathizers,” he said.
“In the last several weeks, our nation has seen these institutions overrun and terrorized by young people calling for a third intifada,” Ogles said.
Republican Rep. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, who co-sponsored the bill, said supporting Hamas should be an automatic ticket out of the country for foreign students.
“If you come to America on a student visa and support a terrorist organization like Hamas, then you are in violation of your visa,” he told the Daily Caller. “We do not need Hamas sympathizers on American soil breaking our laws and influencing our youth to hate America and freedom. You riot on behalf of a terrorist organization, then say goodbye to your visa.”
New: Andy Ogles has introduced a bill that would send people convicted for unlawful activity on college campuses to Gaza for at least six months
The bill would force those arrested on campuses after Oct. 7 to “provide community service in Gaza,” per bill text pic.twitter.com/s9LRAUu9pI
— Liz Elkind (@liz_elkind) May 8, 2024
Ogles said too much has been lost.
“Students have abandoned their classes to harass other students and disrupt campus-wide activities, including university commencement ceremonies nationwide. Enough is enough,” Ogles said, according to Fox News.
“That’s why I introduced legislation to send any person convicted of unlawful activity on the campus of an American university since October 7th, 2023, to Gaza to complete a minimum of six months of community service,” he said.
Rep. Randy Weber of Texas, who co-sponsored the bill, said those who hate America deserve to live with others of the same ilk.
“If you support a terrorist organization, and you participate in unlawful activity on campuses, you should get a taste of your own medicine. I am going to bet that these pro-Hamas supporters wouldn’t last a day, but let’s give them the opportunity,” he said.
Homeland Security Investigations, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, has said that under current rules, a suspension could trigger a chain of events that could theoretically lead to deportation, according to Fox News.
“A temporary suspension, even if that were a final determination for a student, does not necessarily mean that the student would fall below ‘normal progress’ in his/her course of study,” a DHS representative said.
The representative indicated that the impact of the suspension on a student’s progress is the deciding factor.
“If a student were to be suspended, DHS would need reason to believe that the student would not be able to make normal progress in his/her course of study,” the representative said, noting each case is reviewed and that even if a student’s visa is revoked, it would likely lead to a ban on future entry, and not deportation.
