Pappas Urges State Department to Reverse Halt on Humanitarian Visas for Children from Gaza

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined 143 of his colleagues in calling on the Department of State to swiftly reverse its abrupt decision to halt the approval of temporary medical-humanitarian visas for children from Gaza.

On August 16, the State Department announced, without prior notice or clear explanation, that it would suspend all visitor visas from Gaza, including those for children in need of urgent, lifesaving medical care, while conducting a review of its processes. The Department has not provided evidence of security risks or a timeline for the suspension, despite the fact that all Palestinians leaving Gaza for medical treatment are already subject to extensive vetting by Israeli authorities.

“This pause will deny children the medical care they desperately need,” the members wrote.  “We appeal to you to immediately reverse the State Department’s decision and resume allowing those from Gaza with approved temporary medical-humanitarian visas to enter the United States to receive the lifesaving care they need.  We expect a written response 30 days after receiving this letter.”

In their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Rep. Pappas and his colleagues criticized the lack of transparency in the decision and emphasized that the suspension could block children from receiving critical medical treatment. The lawmakers urged the Department to immediately reverse the policy and, at a minimum, exempt urgent pediatric cases while the review is underway.

The full letter to Secretary Rubio can be found here.