The Department of State has put a halt on almost all visa approvals for Palestinian passport holders, officials have confirmed to the New York Times and other outlets.
The suspension applies to nearly all types of visas, including for students, business, family-related travel and medical reasons, the NYT reports, citing four anonymous U.S. officials. The outlet adds that the State Department has confirmed it ordered diplomats to enforce the new restrictions in guidance sent Aug. 18 to all U.S. embassies and consulates.
The State Department did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The restrictions do not apply to dual citizens holding additional passports or anyone who has already obtained a visa, the NYT reported.
In late July, the State Department announced lighter restrictions on Palestinians seeking nonimmigrant visas. The Department said it would not accept applications from Palestinian officials, accusing them of “taking actions to internationalize [the] conflict with Israel” and “continuing to support terrorism including incitement and glorification of violence.”
“It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,” the department wrote in a press release at the time.
The administration doubled down on this effort in late August in an attempt to prevent Palestinian officials from attending the United Nations General Assembly.
The U.S. has increasingly been cracking down on Palestinian activism since President Donald Trump began his second term in January. College campuses have seen waves of violent protests since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, prompting the federal government to suspect foreign influence in the demonstrations. Several pro-Palestinian protesters here on student visas are currently facing deportation as a result.
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