In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian groups, medical professionals, and members of Congress, the U.S. State Department announced on Saturday, August 16, 2025, that it would halt all visitor visas for Palestinians from Gaza pending a comprehensive review. The decision, which immediately impacts children and civilians seeking urgent medical care in the United States, comes amid mounting pressure from conservative activists and some members of Congress concerned about alleged security risks.
The controversy erupted after conservative activist Laura Loomer posted videos on social media showing children from Gaza arriving at U.S. airports—including San Francisco, Houston, St. Louis, and Seattle—for medical treatment. Loomer, who has a history of promoting far-right conspiracy theories, questioned how these children and their families obtained visas, calling their arrival a "national security threat" and urging that those who facilitated the process be fired. She tagged high-profile officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump, and several governors, in her posts and quickly garnered support from Republican lawmakers such as Texas Representative Chip Roy and Florida Representative Randy Fine.
According to the Associated Press, Loomer’s social media campaign prompted swift action from the State Department. On Saturday, the department announced it would conduct "a full and thorough" review of the visa program and suspend all visitor visas for Gazans in the meantime. Secretary Rubio, in an interview on CBS News's Face the Nation, defended the decision, stating, "There is evidence that has been presented to us by numerous Congressional offices that some of the organizations bragging about and involved in acquiring these visas have strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas." However, Rubio did not provide details or name the organizations in question, only adding, "We’re not going to be in partnership with groups who have links or sympathies towards Hamas."
The State Department’s move has immediate repercussions for humanitarian organizations like HEAL Palestine, an American nonprofit dedicated to delivering urgent and long-term support to Palestinian children and families. HEAL Palestine clarified in a statement that their efforts are strictly a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement initiative, and that "after their treatment is complete, the children and any accompanying family members return to the Middle East." The organization further emphasized that their program is funded entirely by donations and does not use U.S. government money.
HEAL Palestine’s Facebook page documented the journey of several children, including a severely malnourished 14-year-old girl who arrived in San Francisco in August 2025 after sustaining burns and shrapnel wounds when her shelter was bombed. A post dated August 14, 2025, described a boy from Gaza leaving Egypt for treatment in St. Louis, noting, "he is our 15th evacuated child arriving in the U.S. in the last two weeks." The group expressed distress over the visa halt: "This is a medical treatment program, not a refugee resettlement program."
Since the start of 2025, the U.S. has issued more than 3,800 B1/B2 visitor visas to holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, including 640 in May alone, according to Reuters. The Palestinian Authority issues these documents to residents of both the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. The State Department confirmed that a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been granted to people from Gaza in recent days but declined to provide a specific figure.
The Council on American Islamic Relations and the Palestine Children's Relief Fund have condemned the visa suspension. The Palestine Children's Relief Fund warned in a statement that the move "will have a devastating and irreversible impact on our ability to bring injured and critically ill children from Gaza to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment." The World Health Organization echoed these concerns, with Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stating on August 13, 2025, "More than 14,800 patients still need lifesaving medical care that is not available in Gaza," and calling for more countries to offer support.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has only deepened since Israel’s military assault began in response to the October 2023 attack by Hamas militants, which killed 1,200 Israelis and resulted in around 250 hostages. Israel’s subsequent offensive has killed tens of thousands, devastated infrastructure, and left the territory’s healthcare system in ruins. The United Nations and its partners report that medicines and basic health care supplies are dangerously low in Gaza, especially after Israel cut off all aid for more than ten weeks earlier this year.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a pointed statement on August 20, 2025, criticizing both Secretary Rubio and the Trump administration. "Donald Trump promised to secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in his first week in office, and now Secretary Rubio is compounding this administration’s failure of leadership with a policy that leaves Gazans who qualify for temporary medical and humanitarian visas—including seriously injured children and civilians who have been caught in the crossfire through no fault of their own—without this lifesaving recourse," Booker said. He called for the immediate reinstatement of the visa program, emphasizing his own bipartisan work with the State Department to evacuate individuals in critical need and improve access to humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The decision has also sparked a wave of public outrage. Letters to the editor published on August 20, 2025, in The Los Angeles Times lambasted the Trump administration’s policy and Loomer’s influence. Nick Aquilino of Los Angeles wrote, "This is absolutely the worst behavior of any of President Trump’s minions. Laura Loomer has managed to lower herself to a level that is completely in the gutter by criticizing children from Gaza who arrived in the U.S. with visas for medical treatment." Another letter described the policy as "a new low" and a "sickening disgrace," noting that the 15 children and their guardians who had been granted temporary visas with the help of HEAL Palestine were being labeled as a national security threat.
Despite the heated rhetoric, the State Department has declined to comment on whether its decision was directly influenced by Loomer’s campaign or to provide a timeline for the completion of its review. Trump administration officials have downplayed Loomer’s sway, but her public criticisms have previously preceded the removal of several officials.
As the debate continues, the World Health Organization and other international bodies have called for urgent action to facilitate medical evacuations from Gaza. Before the current conflict, 50 to 100 patients left Gaza daily for treatment elsewhere, according to WHO, which now urges a much higher rate of approvals given the scale of devastation.
In the meantime, the fate of thousands of Gazans in need of urgent medical care remains uncertain. The U.S. government’s pause on visas has left humanitarian organizations scrambling, families in limbo, and policymakers divided over the balance between national security and humanitarian responsibility. For the children caught in the crossfire, the wait for lifesaving treatment grows ever longer.
