US NGO ‘Distressed’ Over Suspension of Medical Visas for Palestinians
London: US-based humanitarian group Heal Palestine has expressed deep concern after the Biden administration suspended the issuance of medical visas for Palestinians, following lobbying by far-right activist Laura Loomer and pressure from congressional Republicans.
Heal Palestine, which facilitates life-saving medical treatment for Palestinian children in the United States, said it was “distressed” at the sudden decision. The group emphasized that its program is strictly humanitarian and not linked to refugee resettlement.
“This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program,” the NGO said in a statement. “Children come to the US for procedures unavailable at home, and then return to the Middle East with their families after treatment.”
The suspension came after Loomer, who describes herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” claimed she had personally spoken to Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the supposed risk of “Islamic invaders” using temporary visas to enter the US.
Heal Palestine’s founder, Steve Sosebee, also established the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), which has facilitated dozens of medical missions for injured and ill children. The group gained national attention in the US when it helped bring two-year-old Rahaf Saed, who lost her legs in an airstrike, to Missouri for prosthetic fittings. Rahaf later went viral after a video showed her singing and dancing with YouTube star Ms Rachel.
The State Department confirmed the suspension of visas, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
“All visitor visas for individuals from Gaza are being stopped while we conduct a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days.”
Secretary Rubio defended the move in a CBS interview, claiming he had received concerns from “numerous congressional offices.” He alleged that groups helping Palestinians obtain visas may have “links to terrorist groups like Hamas.”
Loomer later accused Sosebee of ties to Hamas for attempting to reopen a hospital in Gaza destroyed during Israeli military operations, a claim widely disputed by humanitarian organizations. She was praised online by Republican lawmakers Charles Roy of Texas and Randy Fine of Florida for her role in halting the visas.
Human rights advocates, however, condemned the decision, warning that critically ill Palestinian children are now at risk of losing access to life-saving treatments only available abroad.