Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) has called on Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to review visa applications from high-risk regions that were approved during the Biden administration. This request follows the arrest of Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, a Gazan citizen and operative for the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s military wing, which is allied with Hamas. Al-Muhtadi reportedly entered the United States in 2024 using a fraudulent visa.
According to filings from the Department of Justice, Al-Muhtadi participated in an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,000 Israelis and Americans. Senator Cotton stated that Al-Muhtadi applied for his visa through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and denied any paramilitary training or terrorist affiliations. Despite evidence of his activities on social media, his application was approved by the Biden administration, granting him legal permanent resident status.
Cotton criticized what he described as failures in the vetting process, noting that since October 7, 2023, thousands of visa applications from Palestinians have been processed through Egypt without sufficient checks of digital footprints or cross-referencing with terrorist watchlists.
In his letter to Secretary Noem, Cotton wrote: “I urge DHS to conduct an audit of all visas issued through high risk countries since 2021, prioritizing potential affiliations with Hamas or other designated terrorist groups. To prevent future breaches, DHS must implement enhanced social media monitoring for visa applicants from high-risk regions and establish mandatory real-time FBI watchlist checks to ensure no terrorist slips through undetected. The safety of Arkansans and all Americans depend on reversing the damage done by Biden’s open border policy.”
He added: “I look forward to working with you on this matter.”
The full text of Senator Cotton’s letter is available online.
