Republican U.S. Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced two measures that, if passed, would achieve a similar objective: to place on the No Fly List individuals who are encouraging violence against Jewish persons and supporting terrorist organizations.
They introduced a bill, the No Flights For Terrorists Act, and an amendment to U.S. Code to require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to put on the No Fly List anyone who calls for violence against Jewish people, pledges allegiance to U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, or has been disciplined by higher education institutions for committing such acts.
The amendment and legislation were filed after ongoing antisemitic, pro-Hamas riots and encampments continue to shut down college campuses nationwide. In the past few weeks alone, hundreds of people, including students, have been arrested on charges ranging from disrupting the peace, criminal trespass, alleged hate crimes, and acts of violence.
“Hamas terrorist sympathizers don’t just hate Israel, they hate America and everything we stand for. These Far-Left paid professional agitators are promoting terrorism with no fear of the consequences from this Administration and these University Presidents who are coddling them to safeguard their donor lists,” Marshall said. “These radical Marxists who are doing Hamas’ bidding across the country on college campuses, threatening the safety of our Jewish students and communities, should be treated the same way we treat the terrorist organization they are pledging their support to and immediately be placed on the TSA No Fly List.”
Blackburn echoed Marshall’s comments.
“It is unacceptable for terrorist sympathizers to threaten the safety of Jewish students in America with little to no consequence. When protestors chant ‘we are Hamas’ and carry around ‘Death to America’ posters, we should believe them,” Blackburn said. “Any student, professor, or paid protestor in America who promotes terrorism or engages in terrorist acts on behalf of Hamas should immediately be placed on the TSA No Fly List.”
They proposed amending title 49, United States Code, to reauthorize and improve the Federal Aviation Administration and other civil aviation programs. Their amendment was proposed to another amendment, No. 1911, proposed by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Ted Cruz, R-TX, Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Jerry Moran R-KS.
According to the Marshall-Blackburn amendment, those to be added to the No Fly List include “any individual who has openly pledged support for, or espoused allegiance or affiliations to, any organization that has been designed as a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, including – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; HAMAS; the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade; Hizballah; Palestine Islamic Jihad; the Palestine Liberation Front; the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine; Kata’ib Hizballah; the Abdallah Azzam Brigades; and the al-Ashtar Brigades.”
Those expressing support for FTOs are to be added to the No Fly List including “any individual who solicits, commands, induces or otherwise endeavors to persuade another person to engage in a crime of violence against a Jewish person or their Jewish people because of their race or religion.” They include any students enrolled in higher education institutions that have been disciplined for committing such acts, any professor, faculty, or paid agitators.
The same Republicans senators also cosponsored a bill filed by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., to ban student loan forgiveness for protestors convicted of a crime while protesting on U.S. college campuses.
They also joined a delegation of 27 U.S. senators last month calling on the Departments of Justice and Education to immediately respond to the “outbreak of anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist mobs on college campuses.”
They called on the Department of Education and federal law enforcement “to restore order, prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated violence and threats against Jewish students, revoke the visas of all foreign nationals (such as exchange students) who have taken part in promoting terrorism, and hold accountable school administrators who have stood by instead of protecting their students,” The Center Square reported.
