Cotton to Noem: Review High-Risk Biden-Era Visa Applications for Potential Ties to Hamas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
October 22, 2025

Cotton to Noem: Review High-Risk Biden-Era Visa Applications for Potential Ties to Hamas

Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review all visa applications from high-risk regions granted under the Biden administration. This letter comes after the recent arrest of a Hamas-affiliated terrorist who entered the United States in 2024.

In part, Senator 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."

Full text of the letter may be found here and below.

October 22, 2025

The Honorable Kristi Noem
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
2702 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE
Washington, D.C. 20528

Dear Secretary Noem:

I write to request the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) review all visa applications from high-risk regions granted under the Biden administration. The recent arrest of Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub Al-Muhtadi, a Gazan citizen who is an operative of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine's (DFLP) military wing that is allied with Hamas, highlighted the extreme danger posed by the previous administration's policies. Al-Muhtadi entered the United States under a fraudulent visa in 2024. According to Department of Justice filings, he participated in the brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Hamas and its affiliates murdered more than 1,000 Israelis and Americans.

Al-Muhtadi applied for a visa through the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, falsely denying his paramilitary training and terrorist affiliations. Despite blatant evidence of these activities on his social media, the Biden administration approved his application, granting him legal permanent resident status and entry into the United States. The vetting process for Al-Muhtadi's application overlooked easily accessible evidence of his terrorist ties. Since October 7, 2023, thousands of visa applications from Palestinians have been processed through Egypt, often without adequate review of digital footprints or terrorist watchlist cross-checks.

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. I look forward to working with you on this matter.

Sincerely,

Tom Cotton
United States Senator

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