AFTER THREE CHILDREN FROM GAZA arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area to receive pro bono treatment at local hospitals this month, some right-wing activists used their arrival as supposed evidence that national security is at risk, leading to the U.S. State Department to pause visas for people attempting to travel for medical and humanitarian reasons from Gaza.
HEAL Palestine, an Ohio-based nonprofit with volunteers and staff from around the world, has been coordinating medical evacuations from Gaza to the United States for children aged between 6 and 15 to receive life-saving care at medical facilities. According to the group, they have connected a total of 63 injured children with care across the country without funding from governments or businesses.
Bay Area volunteers with HEAL Palestine received three children that would stay with local host families while they received treatment for burns, malnourishment, and injured limbs. They remain throughout the region as they receive pro bono care at local hospitals.
When videos of the children arriving at San Francisco International airport began to circulate online, some right-wing activists began to call for the suspension of visas for Gazans.
“Hopefully all GAZANS will be added to President Trump’s travel ban. There are doctors in other countries. The US is not the world’s hospital!” wrote right-wing influence and Trump supporter Laura Loomer on the social media platform X.
Loomer made unsubstantiated claims that HEAL Palestine, the nonpartisan organization, is funneling dangerous individuals to the U.S. through these visitor visas. She attempted to use the videos of children in wheelchairs and their families arriving at SFO as “evidence” that “Islamic invaders” were entering the county.
Several congresspeople, like Republican Florida U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, thanked Loomer for “uncovering” these activities on X.
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, went as far as alleging flights “filled with folks from Gaza” were arriving at major U.S. airports.
On Saturday, after individuals like Loomer called to stop Gazans from arriving in the U.S., the State Department posted on the social media platform X that visas for people from Gaza applying for medical-humanitarian trips would be paused.
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days,” said the post on the official State Department’s page.
An email from the State Department’s press office provided little elaboration as to why the decision to suspend medical visas took place other than attempting to assign responsibility to other countries.
“There are many countries around the world with great hospitals that should be stepping up to provide assistance, including France, Australia, U.K., and Canada to name a few,” wrote one official.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, a nonprofit organization advocating for Muslim-American rights, blasted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the agency’s decision to seemingly listen to online influencers.
“We strongly condemn Marco Rubio for taking direction from Laura Loomer and we call on him to address whether her reported claim that they spoke directly is true. By caving to Loomer’s pressure and banning Palestinian children injured by American weapons from seeking specialized medical care in America, Secretary Rubio has effectively given a notoriously unhinged bigot and her online mob veto power of State Department policy.” said CAIR’s Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell.
‘Not a refugee resettlement program’
In a written statement released on their social media platforms, HEAL Palestine wrote about its concerns for the recent changes to visa policies and how it will ultimately hurt those most needing medical assistance during a war.
“HEAL Palestine is an American humanitarian nonprofit organization delivering urgent aid and medical care to children in Palestine, including sponsoring and bringing severely injured children to the U.S. on temporary visas for essential medical treatment no available at home,” said part of the written statement. “After their treatment is complete, the children and any accompanying family members return to the Middle East. This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program.”
Co-founder and executive director of HEAL Palestine, Steve Sosebee, previously said the U.S. embassy in Amman, Jordan was cooperative and helped to secure visas for the children and their families for medical-humanitarian care.
“Our main concern is to protect the children who are here and their families,” said Sosebee when asked about the visa suspensions.
Fellow humanitarian nonprofit Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) has documented what it sees as a dire humanitarian crisis perpetuated by Israeli forces. According to its website, access to medical care is extremely limited because of the continued violence that has destroyed medical facilities and moved millions from their homes.
“MSF is treating people in Gaza with severe physical and mental health injuries, and the needs continue to grow. People are suffering from war wounds, chronic diseases, and starvation made worse when they cannot access essential health care,” the organization said on its website.
The organization called for a ceasefire alongside the continuation of medical evacuations, such as those done by HEAL Palestine, to continue saving the lives of those displaced in Gaza.
As for the children staying in the Bay Area, the statement by the State Department did little to clarify what will happen to the children’s current visas. They traveled with their closest female guardians, such as mother or aunts, and their status remained unclear as of Tuesday.
They will continue to receive care for their physical and mental injuries until further notice.