Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced two measures that, if passed, would achieve a similar objective: to place individuals on the nation’s No Fly List who encourage violence against Jewish persons and support terrorist organizations.
Their bill, the No Flights For Terrorists Act, along with an amendment to the U.S. Code, would require the FBI to put on the No Fly List anyone who calls for violence against Jewish people, pledges allegiance to Hamas or other U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations, or has been disciplined by higher education institutions for committing such acts.
Marshall and Blackburn filed the proposals Tuesday as ongoing antisemitic, pro-Hamas riots and encampments continued 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 and criminal trespass to 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 [Transportation Security Administration] No Fly List,” the Kansas Republican added.
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 protesters chant ‘We are Hamas’ and carry around ‘Death to America’ posters, we should believe them,” Blackburn said. “Any student, professor, or paid protester in America who promotes terrorism or engages in terrorist acts on behalf of Hamas should immediately be placed on the TSA No Fly List.”
The GOP senators proposed amending Title 49 of the U.S. Code to reauthorize and improve the Federal Aviation Administration and other civil aviation programs. Their amendment was to another amendment, (No. 1911) offered by Sens. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Jerry Moran R-Kan.
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 foreign terrorist organizations 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 colleges, universities, or other higher education institutions that have been disciplined for committing such acts, as well as any professor, faculty member, or paid agitator.
Marshall and Blackburn also cosponsored a bill filed by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., to ban any student loan forgiveness for protesters convicted of a crime while protesting on U.S. college campuses.
The two also joined a delegation of 27 U.S. senators last month calling on the Biden administration’s Justice and Education departments to respond immediately to the “outbreak of antisemitic, pro-terrorist mobs on college campuses.”
The senators called on the Education Department 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,” as The Center Square reported.
Originally published by The Center Square
