Rep. Panetta Urges State Department to Reverse Halt on Humanitarian Visas for Children from Gaza

Washington, DC – United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) joined colleagues in calling on the Department of State to swiftly reverse its abrupt decision to halt the approval of temporary medical-humanitarian visas for children from Gaza.

On August 16, the State Department announced, without prior notice or clear explanation, that it would suspend all visitor visas from Gaza, including those for children in need of urgent, lifesaving medical care, while conducting a review of its processes.  The Department has not provided evidence of security risks or a timeline for the suspension, despite the fact that all Palestinians leaving Gaza for medical treatment are already subject to extensive vetting by Israeli authorities.

“This pause will deny children the medical care they desperately need,” the members wrote.  “We appeal to you to immediately reverse the State Department’s decision and resume allowing those from Gaza with approved temporary medical-humanitarian visas to enter the United States to receive the lifesaving care they need.  We expect a written response 30 days after receiving this letter.”

In their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Rep. Panetta and his colleagues criticized the lack of transparency in the decision and emphasized that the suspension could block children from receiving critical medical treatment.  The lawmakers urged the Department to immediately reverse the policy and, at minimum, exempt urgent pediatric cases while the review is underway.

The full letter to Secretary Rubio can be found here and below.

Dear Secretary Rubio, 

We write to urge you to swiftly reverse the State Department’s recent decision to halt temporary medical-humanitarian visas for children from Gaza. On August 16th, the State Department announced it will stop approving all visitor visas for people from the war-torn Gaza strip -- including children in need of urgent medical care -- while conducting a “full and thorough review of the processes and procedures” used to issue these visas. This pause comes in the wake of severely injured Palestinian children arriving in the United States on temporary visas to receive medical care in recent weeks. The announcement of the sudden pause came via social media and contained no details on what a full and thorough review entails or any evidence of security risks. The lack of clarity regarding how long this halt will last is concerning. 

This pause will deny children the medical care they desperately need. It is wrong to prevent children who are caught in the middle of this horrific conflict from receiving lifesaving medical care. In addition, this decision ignores the fact that all Palestinians leaving Gaza for medical treatment or to accompany family members receiving medical treatment are already subject to rigorous vetting by the Israeli government, including an Israeli security clearance, identity verification, and an assessment whether they are linked to Hamas. 

Prior to this announcement, several children from Gaza have come to the United States to receive medical treatment. These cases have gone on without incident. We appeal to you to immediately reverse the State Department’s decision and resume allowing those from Gaza with approved temporary medical-humanitarian visas to enter the United States to receive the lifesaving care they need. 

In light of these facts, we respectfully ask the Department to provide: 

1. A detailed explanation of the specific concerns or procedural issues identified that led to the suspension of visas. 

2. The criteria and timeline for the ongoing review process, how long it is expected to take, and what safeguards are being considered to prevent interruption of emergency medical care programs. 

3. A commitment to temporarily exempt urgent medical-humanitarian cases involving children from Gaza from the suspension until the review is complete. 

We would appreciate any clarification regarding the policy’s basis and a reassessment of its impact on vulnerable individuals and families in desperate need. We expect a written response 30 days after receiving this letter. 

Thank you for your attention in this matter.

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