U.S. Halts Visitor Visas for Gazans Amid Rights Outcry

Medical groups warn suspension will block children from life-saving treatment as State Department launches review.

The United States State Department has suspended the issuance of visitor visas for residents of Gaza, citing a review of recent medical-humanitarian admissions. The move has drawn sharp criticism from rights and medical organizations, who warn it will cut off critically ill children from access to life-saving treatment abroad.

The decision follows pressure from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who used social media to portray the evacuation of wounded Gazans to U.S. hospitals as a security threat. Loomer claimed credit for the suspension, which critics say underscores political rather than security-driven motives.

Humanitarian organizations argue the impact will be immediate. The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) called the decision “devastating,” while HEAL Palestine reported that it had already evacuated 148 patients this year, including 63 children, to U.S. hospitals. With visas frozen, such transfers are now at risk.

U.S. consular data show that more than 3,800 visitor visas tied to Palestinian Authority documents were issued in 2025, including 640 visas in May alone. While not all recipients were from Gaza, medical evacuations have been a critical part of the program, given the collapse of Gaza’s health system.

The suspension comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli response, more than *61,000 Palestinians* have been reported killed. With hospitals destroyed or overwhelmed, external medical evacuation remains one of the few remaining lifelines.

Civil rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), condemned the move as discriminatory and politically motivated. The State Department has not indicated when or if visa processing for Gazans will resume.