Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned students expressing their support of Hamas forces against Israel in the current conflict in the Middle East.
The Republican lawmaker vowed to ban visas and deport international students celebrating terrorism. The warning comes as many US students marched in solidarity with Palestine within a few hours of Hamas militants attacking Israel.
Ron DeSantis Issues Warning
One student from New York University was seen ripping down posters of Israelis whom Hamas militant forces have taken hostage. There were also more than 30 student-run organizations at Harvard that placed the blame on Israel for the surprise attack by the group earlier this month.
The demonstrations have continued in the last two weeks since the initial assault that had some 260 young Israelis being murdered at a music festival near the border of Gaza. In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, DeSantis said that if he becomes president of the United States, he will work on canceling the visas and sending home international students who celebrate terrorism, as per Blaze Media.
The Florida governor spoke on Friday at a campaign event in Iowa, reiterating his stance against foreigners celebrating terrorism in the United States. He said that the development comes as the blood of Israelis who have been massacred has not yet dried.
Similarly, former United States President Donald Trump issued a scathing statement on his Truth Social platform. He said that what happened in Israel was barbaric and that it was unacceptable for universities to allow or enable open hatred against Israel and America.
The Republican businessman said that deans stand idly by instead of educating young Americans while subversive groups call for a National Day of Resistance. On the other hand, Sen. Marco Rubio called on the Biden administration to rescind the visas of foreign nationals who express support for Hamas.
Pro-Palestine Protests
Sen. Tim Scott, another Republican, said he had already sponsored a bill denying Pell grants to colleges and universities that fail to stomp out antisemitism. He said that the establishments' inaction sent a message that it was okay to be anti-Israel, according to the New York Times.
The former Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, also delivered a similar warning during a town hall on Friday in Cedar Rapids. She accused some colleges and universities of promoting violence in Israel.
On top of his remarks, DeSantis has also been looking to impose new sanctions on Iranian businesses in Florida, charter flights of Floridians back from Israel, and support Israel with aid for its war against Hamas militants for the past two weeks.
The Florida governor called pro-Palestine protests a "total disgrace" and disagreed with the United States accepting refugees from Gaza. The Republican added that he does not know exactly what United States President Joe Biden will do about the situation.
However, he said that the nation cannot accept people from Gaza coming in as refugees. DeSantis said that while not all of these people were Hamas, they were all antisemitic and none believed in Israel's right to exist, said The Hill.
