Trump Administration Suspends Visas for Gaza Residents After Laura Loomer Raises Questions

Just a day after conservative activist Laura Loomer posted videos on social media of children from Gaza arriving in the United States for medical treatment and questioned how they were granted entry, the U.S. State Department announced that it is halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza pending review.

In a statement Saturday, the State Department said the pause was to reassess the issuance of a “small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas” in recent days. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS’ Face the Nation that the action followed inquiries from several members of Congress.

Rubio confirmed that only a handful of children had been granted visas, accompanied by adults. He further claimed—without providing evidence or naming organizations—that “some of the groups assisting in obtaining these visas have strong ties to terrorist organizations such as Hamas.”

“We are going to pause this program and reevaluate how these visas are being vetted and what role, if any, these organizations have had in the process,” Rubio said.

Loomer’s Allegations and White House Response

On Friday, Loomer posted videos on X (formerly Twitter) showing Gaza children arriving earlier this month in San Francisco and Houston for medical treatment through the help of a group called HEAL Palestine. She called the arrivals a “national security threat” and demanded the firing of whoever authorized the visas.

Tagging Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Rubio, Loomer pressed for accountability. While President Trump has publicly played down Loomer’s influence, past incidents show several officials resigned or were dismissed shortly after she criticized them.

The State Department on Sunday declined to say how many visas had been issued and would not confirm whether the decision was directly linked to Loomer’s posts.

HEAL Palestine’s Response

The U.S.-based humanitarian nonprofit HEAL Palestine said it was “distressed” by the government’s decision, emphasizing that its mission is to bring “severely injured children” from Gaza to the U.S. for treatment unavailable at home. After recovery, the children and their accompanying relatives return to the Middle East.

“This is not a refugee resettlement program—it is a medical treatment program,” the organization said in a statement.

A post on the group’s Facebook page last week showed a teenage boy leaving Egypt for St. Louis, describing him as the 15th evacuated child in the past two weeks.

WHO Calls for Medical Evacuations

The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly urged more medical evacuations from Gaza, where nearly two years of war have devastated the health system.

“More than 14,800 patients still need lifesaving medical care that is not available in Gaza,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday, adding: “Ceasefire! Peace is the best medicine.”

Before the war, between 50 and 100 patients left Gaza daily for treatment abroad, according to WHO. The organization has urged Israeli authorities to approve more medical departures, warning that medicines and essential supplies are nearly depleted following Israel’s cutoff of aid for more than 10 weeks earlier this year.