H.R. 176 No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act Passes House Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Tom McClintock (CA-05) today delivered the following remarks on the House floor in support of his bill H.R. 176, the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act. The Act passed the House by voice vote.  

Remarks as delivered:

Although our political differences these days are vast, there are still some things we come together on in this body, we certainly did so during the last session, and one of them was an enduring opposition to Hamas and the terrorism they unleashed on innocent civilians in Israel more than two years ago.
 

 

Earlier this year, the barbaric inhumanity of Hamas was revealed again in the macabre and infuriating spectacle of returning the bodies of the Bibas family.  We last saw Shiri Bibas alive on October 7th, 2023, as she was seized, terrified and sobbing, begging for the lives of her two little boys as they were dragged into the hell on Earth that Hamas created. This February, their murdered bodies were treated as trophies, and later we learned in a final act of cruelty, that Shiri's body had been substituted for another.

We all came together in this body last year and said that such monsters as these must never be admitted to our country, never given safe haven on our soil, and never tolerated where they are found.

HR 176 says that anyone associated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in any capacity, or anyone who assisted their terrorist activities in any form, will not be allowed in this country under any circumstances, will be immediately removed if we do find them here, and under no circumstances will we allow them to receive any immigration benefit under our laws.

We already single out Nazi collaborators and PLO terrorists. This simply adds Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to that list. 

For reasons I find inexplicable, the Senate couldn't be bothered to take up this bill in the last session. Hopefully, they will find the time in this session.

Under current law, being a member of Hamas or being associated with its barbaric attack against Israel is not an explicit ground of inadmissibility or removability. That's just not good enough. Anyone who gave them support in any form should never be allowed into this country.

During the Biden years, the number of known or suspected terrorists encountered at the southwest border soared to nearly 400. Too many were allowed into the country. How many more were among the two million known gotaways is anybody's guess.

And how many more are among the one hundred ninety thousand Afghans allowed into this country with minimal or no vetting is also anybody's guess. We found out last week that one is far too many. 

But under the Biden Administration, Hamas terrorists didn't even have to sneak in across the border. President Biden simply let them in through the front door. As just one example, less than two months ago, federal officials arrested a 33-year-old native of Gaza, who was living in Lafayette, Louisiana, for his alleged involvement in Hamas' attack against Israel on October 7. After learning about the ongoing Hamas attack, the alleged terrorist gathered a group of fighters and stormed into Israel to join the barbarism. Less than a year later, he submitted a visa application, which the Biden Administration quickly approved, and he was allowed to enter the United States.

After the October 7 attacks, Director Wray warned us that the FBI "cannot and [does] not discount the possibility that Hamas…could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil." These words prove to be prophetic.

On June 1, 2025, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, attacked pro-Israeli demonstrators, who were marching in Boulder, Colorado, in support of the release of hostages held captive by Hamas. While shouting "Free Palestine," Soliman attacked the peaceful demonstrators with Molotov cocktails, resulting in the hospitalization of at least eight people who suffered burns and other injuries.  At least one of the victims survived the Holocaust. According to the Justice Department, Soliman stated he planned the attack for more than a year, "wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," and would conduct the attack again if he had the chance. He, too, was able to enter the United States through the front door – this time, with a tourist visa under the Biden Administration.

This could never be allowed to happen again, regardless of which party controls the executive branch. And while we have a President who is committed to securing our borders, protecting our communities, and restoring the enforcement of our immigration laws now is the time to act.

Background: Under H.R. 176, any non-U.S. national who participated in or otherwise facilitated the October 7, 2023, attacks will be unable to seek any immigration-related relief or protections, or asylum in the United States. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security must supply an annual report to Congress the number of individuals found to be inadmissible or deportable due to their participation in or facilitation of the attacks.