The Biden administration is considering welcoming certain Palestinians to the U.S. as refugees as they seek to escape war-torn Gaza amid the ongoing war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.
Senior officials across several federal U.S. agencies have discussed in recent weeks the details of potential options to accept Palestinians from Gaza who have immediate family members who are American citizens or permanent U.S. residents, internal federal government documents show, according to CBS News.
One proposal involves using the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program to bring Palestinians with U.S. connections who have escaped Gaza and entered neighboring Egypt, the documents reveal.
U.S. officials have also considered welcoming additional Palestinians out of Gaza and are processing them as refugees if they have American relatives, according to the documents. This proposal would have to rely on coordination with Egypt, which has thus far been reluctant to welcome large numbers of people from Gaza.
People from Gaza who pass a series of eligibility, medical and security screenings would qualify to be flown to the U.S. with refugee status, which includes permanent residency, resettlement benefits like housing assistance and a path to American citizenship.
The number of people eligible is expected to be relatively small, but the proposed plans could provide a lifeline to some Palestinians seeking to escape the Israel-Hamas war.
Ron DeSantis is not a fan of the plan.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday bashed President Joe Biden and his administration for accepting Palestinian refugees from the war-torn Gaza Strip. "There was a report out that Joe Biden is contemplating importing a bunch of Palestinian Arabs from the Gaza Strip into the United States of America. And I didn't even think Biden was crazy enough to do this," DeSantis said during a Hardee County press conference.
On Wednesday, for instance, DeSantis said that to help Palestinians in Gaza relocate to the United States would mean importing "blood feuds to this country." He evoked reports of rapes and executions during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, and referenced an account from an Israeli first responder that a baby was found in an oven.
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