The U.S. State Department announced that it has suspended the issuance of U.S. visas for residents of the Gaza Strip.
On the 16th (local time), the State Department stated through its official X account that "the issuance of all visitor visas for individuals from the Gaza Strip has been suspended while thoroughly reviewing the procedures and processes used for the issuance of a limited number of temporary medical humanitarian visas over the past few days."
There are suggestions that this action was taken immediately after Laura Loomer, a staunch supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and a far-right influencer, posted on X.
Loomer claimed the previous day that Palestinians have been entering the U.S. to receive medical treatment through visas obtained with the support of citizen organizations, and that this should be stopped.
She said, "Accepting the entry of Palestinian refugees contradicts Trump's campaign slogan of 'Make America Great Again' from last year," adding that "these individuals could potentially become terrorists." She emphasized, "The U.S. is not the world's hospital. Our citizens are not even receiving adequate care."
After the State Department announced the suspension of visa issuance, Loomer welcomed it as "swift," while asserting, "There have been really many residents from the Gaza Strip who have entered the U.S. since the previous Joe Biden administration, and immediate deportation of these individuals is necessary."
Loomer, born in 1993, is considered a hidden power within Trump's second term. She is known to have phone conversations with President Trump several times a month and has been spotted multiple times on his private jet, Air Force One, at the Mar-a-Lago presidential residence in Florida.