Van Drew Leads Colleagues in Letter to Mayorkas & Blinken Urging Expedited Entry for Jewish Individuals Seeking Temporary Stay in the United States

November 8, 2023 — Congressman Van Drew led eight of his colleagues in a bipartisan letter to Department of State Secretary Antony Blinken and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the departments to establish a lawful pathway for any individual identifying as Jewish who requires immediate temporary relocation. 

“The abhorrent and disgusting events that have unfolded across America, and across the world, since the barbaric October 7th terrorist attack on innocent Israelis should shock everyone to their core,” said Congressman Van Drew. “Jewish individuals are scared to leave their homes, are being antagonized and harassed daily, and even murdered, simply for being Jewish.

“The Biden administration must step up and offer refuge to Jews across the world who fear for their lives and require immediate temporary relocation by providing expedited entry into the United States. Our nation has always stood as a beacon of hope to those who are persecuted, and we must stand strong on our foundational principles by providing unwavering support for Jewish communities across the world.”  

Specifically, the lawmakers requested:

1. The administration create a humanitarian parole category specifically for people of the Jewish faith and of Jewish descent to streamline the paperwork process and facilitate referrals to allow for fast, humane, and efficient relocation to the United States; and
2. The administration increase efforts to support those applying for humanitarian parole and those applying for Priority 1 or 2 pathways. 

Background:

• On October 17th, rioters waving Palestinian flags burnt and vandalized Al Hammah Synagogue, a historic Jewish pilgrimage site in Tunisia that hosts the tomb of 16th-century Kabbalist Rabbi Yosef Ma’aravi. 
• On October 18th, a synagogue in Berlin was targeted in a firebomb attack by two masked individuals who hurled Molotov cocktails. 
• On October 18th, a mob of pro-Palestinian rioters attacked a synagogue in the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla. 
• London’s Metropolitan Police has reported a 1350% surge in anti-Jewish offenses from October 1st-18th, 2023, compared to the same period in the previous year. 
• On October 28th, individuals entered a hotel in Dagestan, Russia, to check guests’ passports after rumors spread that Israeli refugees were there. The next day, when a flight arrived from Tel Aviv, a mob stormed Makhachkala airport, hunting Israeli citizens, leading to 20 injuries. 
• In Australia, radicals disrupted a pro-Palestinian protest outside the Sydney Opera House with chants of “gas the Jews” and “death to the Jews”.
• In France, home to the largest number of Jewish people outside Israel and the United States, graffiti with phrases such as “killing Jews is a duty” has been found on buildings.

Co-signers include: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Rep. Thomas Kean, Jr. (R-NJ), Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Rep. Randy Weber, Sr. (R-TX), Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). Click here to read the full letter. 

###