Abe Hamadeh Offers Legislative Support to Curb Special Immigrant Visas

Rep. Abe Hamadeh

Representative Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) has sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio offering legislative support to curb Special Immigrant Visas in the wake of two National Guardsmen being shot in Washington, D.C.

Just before Thanksgiving, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the United States in the wake of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal of 2021, shot two members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. One of the victims, Sarah Beckstrom, died of her injuries, while the other, Andrew Wolfe, remains in the hospital.

In the wake of the shooting, the Trump Administration announced a pause in reviewing all pending applications for green cards, citizenship, or asylum from immigrants from 19 countries, including Afghanistan and other Countries of Concern.

Writing to Secretary Rubio, Rep. Hamadeh expressed that "President Trump has rightly prioritized aggressive immigration enforcement," adding that "now, it is clear that we must focus on legal immigration as well due to the clear threats that stem from inadequate vetting."

Additionally, he fiercely criticized the Biden Administration for inadequately vetting Afghan refugees, comparing it to how they "insisted that it had the Haitian migration situation in the border town of Del Rio, Texas under control."

"The truth be told, the Biden Administration unleashed upon our civil society untold numbers of individuals from around the globe who hate all for which this great nation of ours stands," Rep. Hamadeh continued, calling the previous administration's actions "nothing short of treasonous."

As a result, the Arizona Congressman offered, "Please let me know how I can be of service on the legislative level to you in your effort to put America First and protect our citizens from freedom-hating foes."

In September, Hamadeh cosponsored the Protect and Respect ICE Act, which strengthens criminal penalties for attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Introduced by Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA), the bill came as attacks against ICE agents have skyrocketed at an alarming 700%, which Republicans say is the result of Democrats' public demonization of the agency and its employees.

Grayson Bakich

Florida born and raised, Grayson Bakich is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His thesis examined recent trends in political polarization and how this leads into justification of violence.