Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., said Friday that the protests on campuses of U.S. colleges and universities are "the result of bringing people that hate America to America."
"Unfortunately, our options are very limited," Perry told Newsmax's "American Agenda" about the Biden administration's weighing measures to help Palestinians living in the United States bring family from the war-torn region.
"We had an alternative when it came to the funding of the federal government, and that was when we had the leverage to say none of this can happen.
"Sen. Rick Scott actually had a bill, or an amendment for the bill, to disallow these people from Gaza to come. And let's understand: This is not xenophobic or anything like that. The vast majority of people in Gaza support the Oct. 7th attacks and massacre," he continued.
"And so when Egypt, when Jordan, when their neighboring communities won't take these people, I think we need to be very careful about what we do in America, especially when we see these protests. The result of bringing people that hate America to America you're seeing play out on American college campuses right now," he added.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday discussions were underway but had no further details on how procedures might work. The new measures would help those who are legal permanent residents or U.S. citizens and who have family in the region.
It's difficult right now for anyone to get out of the Gaza Strip as the Israel-Hamas war continues, and more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health officials, around two-thirds of them children and women.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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