Sens. Rubio, Hagerty express concerns regarding DHS, State Department determination allowing “terrorist-linked” individuals to enter U.S.

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) have joined eight colleagues in expressing concerns regarding a recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State determination that “terrorist-linked” individuals are no longer barred from entering the United States.

The lawmakers forwarded correspondence to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken concerning a June 8, 2022, determination from DHS and the Department of State stating that individuals who provided “insignificant material support” or “limited material support” to terrorist organizations would no longer barred from admission into the United States.

The lawmakers maintain that the determination breaks established domestic immigration policy is unacceptably broad and fails to make clear who is and is not permitted to enter the United States.

“We write because the American people deserve an explanation regarding the broad, open-ended nature of this authority for exempting individuals who would otherwise be barred from immigration to the United States for supporting a terrorist organization,” the legislators wrote. “This could include, for example, current or former members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and IRGC-linked entities, which are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. It could include individuals seeking asylum at the southern border.”

The lawmakers have requested information from DHS and the State Department that includes a detailed description of the Afghan nationals to whom the June 8 Determination has been or will be applied; information on whether the June 8 Determination has been applied or if it will be applied, to any individuals who have provided insignificant material support or limited material support to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or any IRGC-linked entities; and if the June 8 Determination has been applied, or will it be applied, to any individuals entering the United States at the U.S. border with Mexico.