OAN’s Brooke Mallory
3:46 PM – Thursday, May 9, 2024
Representative Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, filed legislation on Wednesday that would force holders of student visas that sympathize with Hamas to return home, advising them to “go study abroad in Gaza.”
A copy of the legislation, known as the “Study Abroad Act,” was obtained by The Daily Caller outlet.
The measure states that any student visa holder who has been “arrested for rioting or unlawful protest” or those who have been “arrested while establishing, participating in, or promoting an encampment” at a U.S. institution of higher education will have their F, J, or M visas immediately revoked.
“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. In the last several weeks, our nation has seen these institutions overrun and terrorized by young people calling for a third intifada,” Ogles (R-Tenn.) told the outlet prior to introducing the bill.
“These anti-Semitic, 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. 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 continued.
Representatives Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) and Randy Weber (R-Texas) joined Ogles in sponsoring the bill.
“If you hate America so much, you should get the first ticket back to your country and attend college there. The unruly anti-Semites that are spewing hate and discontent on college campuses will not be tolerated in the United States,” Weber told the outlet.
All throughout the country, college campuses continue to face ongoing protests that are becoming more chaotic, disrupting classes and campus activity.
“If you come to America on a student visa and support a terrorist organization like Hamas, then you are in violation of your visa,” Duncan stated. “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.”
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