Zinke, Daines introduce bills seeking to block Palestinians from US

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, both Montana Republicans, have in recent weeks introduced bills seeking to block Palestinians from entering the United States, and in Zinke’s case, to expel any who have recently come to America.

Last week, Zinke introduced a bill he called the “Safeguarding Americans from Extremism” (SAFE) Act, which aims to require the Department of Homeland Security to block Palestinians with Palestinian Authority passports from obtaining visas, refugee status, or asylum in the U.S. It also seeks to kick out any Palestinians who have entered the U.S. from Oct. 1, or who have lost their lawful status since then, moving forward.

Though the bill has no chance of becoming law, Zinke said in a statement he was bringing it forward because of his lack of trust in the Biden Administration.