- Spokesman John Kirby was asked about Republican proposals on Monday
- He said it wasn’t necessary to agree with protesters’ sentiments in a free country to ‘stand by the idea of the First Amendment and the idea of peaceful protest’
- He also said the US had trusted partners in Gaza to ensure aid didn’t go to Hamas
The White House on Monday pushed back on hardline Republican demands to deport foreigners who joined pro-Palestinian protests, warning the proposals would not pass First Amendment protections on free speech.
Republican 2024 hopefuls are competing to see who can be toughest on demonstrators backing the Palestinian cause after Hamas terrorists killed 1400 people on October 7.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, said pro-Hamas demonstrators should have their visas canceled.
John Kirby, White House national security spokesman, was asked about sending home people who support the Palestinian cause.
‘I would just tell you, you don’t have to agree with every sentiment as expressed in a free country like this to stand by the idea of the First Amendment and the idea of peaceful protest,’ he told reporters at the daily briefing. ‘I’ll leave it at that.’
Q: Should student visas be revoked from foreign nationals who have engaged in pro-Hamas protests?
JOHN KIRBY: "You don't have to agree with every sentiment that is expressed" pic.twitter.com/dPPqxgYRqd
— 🇺🇸⭐️OUR-VOICES⭐️🇺🇸 (@iswho) October 23, 2023
University campuses have been the scene of a string of protests against Israel’s action in the Gaza Strip.
They have raised questions about whether its treatment of Palestinians were in part to blame for the Hamas attack, and some have characterized the assault as a form of resistance rather than terrorism.
In some cases, Republicans have suggested that anyone speaking up for Palestinians is a supporter of Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. since 1997.
Last week, 19 Republican lawmakers joined forces to call for foreign students who have expressed support for Hamas to have their visas revoked.
‘We write to request information regarding the potentially unlawful presence on U.S. soil of non-immigrant foreign nationals who have endorsed terrorist activity,’ they said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination weighed in at the start of last week, promising to revoke the visas of ‘radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners.’
And former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is currently running third in the race, suggested that state funding to higher education could be cut for institutions that failed to ‘manage hate.’