"Mast's new bill claims to target a narrow set of people. One section grants the secretary of state the power to revoke or refuse to issue passports for people who have been convicted-or merely charged-of material support for terrorism... The other section sidesteps the legal process entirely. Rather, the secretary of state would be able to deny passports to people whom they determine "has knowingly aided, assisted, abetted, or otherwise provided material support to an organization the Secretary has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.""
"Rubio has previously boasted of stripping the visas and green cards from several immigrants based purely on their peaceful expression of pro-Palestine views, describing them as "Hamas supporters." These include Columbia protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after Rubio voided his green card; and Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts student whose visa Rubio revoked after she co-wrote an op-ed calling for her school to divest from Israel."
A bill introduced in the House would grant the Secretary of State authority to revoke or refuse passports for people convicted or charged with material support for terrorism and to deny passports to those the Secretary determines provided material support to designated foreign terrorist organizations without judicial process. The measure, introduced by Rep. Brian Mast, is scheduled for a hearing. Civil liberties and free-speech advocates express concern that the authority could be applied to punish political expression. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously revoked visas and green cards after individuals expressed pro-Palestine views, including Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk.
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