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House Passes Bill to Bar Anyone Linked to Hamas' Oct. 7 Attack from Entering U.S.

10:50 AM, 12/02/2025
House Passes Bill to Bar Anyone Linked to Hamas' Oct. 7 Attack from Entering U.S.

The House approved the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act of 2025 by voice vote, advancing a measure that would bar anyone connected to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel from immigrating to the United States. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom McClintock, would amend immigration law to declare involved noncitizens inadmissible and add Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to the list of barred organizations. A Senate companion has been filed; supporters say the change would strengthen immigration authority to keep those tied to the attacks out of the country.

The House of Representatives on Monday passed legislation intended to prevent anyone connected to Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel from immigrating to the United States. The measure advanced by voice vote, clearing the chamber without recorded individual votes and moving next to the Senate for consideration.

What the bill would do

The Republican-sponsored measure, titled the No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act of 2025 and introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), would amend U.S. immigration law to deem inadmissible any noncitizen who "carried out, participated in, planned, financed, afforded material support to, or otherwise facilitated" the attacks initiated by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The bill would also add Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to the roster of terrorist organizations referenced in the Immigration and Nationality Act, making members and supporters ineligible for immigration benefits.

"There are still some things we can come together on in this body, and one of them is opposition to Hamas and the terrorism they unleashed on civilians in Israel," Rep. McClintock said, arguing the measure places those tied to the attack in the same legal category as other historical collaborators barred under existing law.

A companion bill has been filed in the Senate by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.). Supporters of the House measure said they hope repeated passage in the House will encourage the Senate to take up the legislation and ultimately send it to the president.

Context and enforcement

Backers cited recent enforcement actions as context for tightening immigration restrictions. Earlier this year, federal authorities arrested Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al‑Muhtadi, a Gaza native residing in Louisiana, on allegations related to involvement in the Oct. 7 attack. The bill's supporters say the change would give immigration officials clearer authority to bar admission and immigration benefits to anyone proven to have participated in or materially supported the attacks.

Opponents or civil liberties advocates may raise concerns about due process, evidentiary standards and the potential for broad application; such debates are likely to appear if and when the Senate considers the measure. For now, the bill's passage in the House signals bipartisan concern over preventing admissions of individuals tied to large-scale terrorist attacks.

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House Passes Bill to Bar Anyone Linked to Hamas' Oct. 7 Attack from Entering U.S. - CRBC News