As the war between Israel and Hamas escalates, Florida governor Ron DeSantis and some Republican senators said the U.S. should not accept Gaza refugees after some Democrats called on the country to do so.
The Israeli military on Friday ordered roughly 1.1 million Palestinians, or about half of the Gaza Strip’s population, to evacuate the northern region of Gaza within 24 hours, forcing them to migrate south. Since then, Republicans have expressed concerns about the displaced refugees fleeing to the U.S. in hopes of escaping the regional conflict.
“We cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees. I am not going to do that,” DeSantis said at a presidential campaign event in Iowa. “If you look at how [people in Gaza] behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic. None of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.”
Creston, IA — DeSantis says that the US “cannot accept people from Gaza into this country as refugees.”
“I am not going to do that. If you look at how they behave, not all of them are Hamas, but they are all anti-Semitic. None of them believe in Israel’s right to exist.” pic.twitter.com/VKNPTIzEk7
— Veronica Stracqualursi (@VeronicaStrac) October 14, 2023
The Florida governor added the “Arab states” should take them in instead. “You don’t fly people and import them into the United States of America,” he said.
His comments sharply differ from Representative Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) a member of the far-left “Squad” who has called for the U.S. to take in any Gaza refugees given the circumstances. “Fifty percent of the population in Gaza are children,” Bowman said, according to the New York Post. “The international community as well as the United States should be prepared to welcome refugees from Palestine while being very careful to vet and not allow members of Hamas.”
Meanwhile, Senators Ted Cruz (R., Texas), Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), and Rick Scott (R., Fla.) all oppose Palestinian resettlement in the U.S.
“Iran should take responsibility for any Palestinian refugees caused by its proxy … war with Israel. Iran is responsible for the death and destruction — it should be responsible for refugees as well,” Cotton said.
“The U.S. is the most generous nation in the world, but we are in no position to accept additional refugees, especially from a region with as high a risk of terrorism, given our nation’s inability to secure our own border or vet those who are already here,” Rubio concurred.
Scott said “the entire focus of the United States right now should be on rescuing American hostages, and making sure that Israel has every resource needed to defeat Iran backed-Hamas and defend its homeland.”
After over 1 million Palestinians in Gaza were told to leave their homes, the Israeli military said it would conduct a multi-pronged attack “from the air, sea and land.” Israel is expected to continue seeking retribution for the massacre of its civilians, of which at least 1,300 Israelis have died since October 7.