Tom Cotton Demands Purge of Biden Immigration Policies After Terrorist Slips Into U.S.

Senator Tom Cotton is sounding the alarm and demanding action. After a Hamas-linked terrorist was discovered living undetected in Louisiana on a Biden-approved visa, Cotton is pushing for a full purge of the administration’s immigration policies, calling them a clear and present danger to American lives.

The bombshell? A 33-year-old Gazan terrorist, Mahmoud Amin Ya’Qub al-Muhtadi, allegedly involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel, quietly entered the United States using a fraudulent visa in 2024. He passed through standard vetting under Biden-era guidelines, received a green card, and was working in a Louisiana restaurant by the time federal agents caught up with him.

“The vetting process for al-Muhtadi’s application overlooked easily accessible evidence of his terrorist ties,” Cotton said. “I urge DHS to conduct an audit of all visas issued through high-risk countries since 2021.”

The facts are jaw-dropping:

• Al-Muhtadi was geolocated by the FBI near Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7 slaughter where 60 civilians including Americans were murdered.

• He gave battlefield-style orders on encrypted apps: “Bring the rifles,” “get ready,” and “If you have a full magazine, bring it to me.”

• His social media was full of photos of him in military gear, wielding Russian weapons, and openly identifying with the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) a U.S.-designated terror group.

Yet, somehow, the Biden administration approved his visa.

Al-Muhtadi reportedly applied through Cairo, where visa approvals have skyrocketed under Biden’s policies. Cotton says thousands of similar applications have been rubber-stamped since 2021 many from Palestinian territories, Egypt, and other high-risk regions often without basic social media or terrorist watchlist checks.

“This administration has created the perfect conditions for extremists to exploit our system,” Cotton warned in his letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

Cotton’s demand?

• A comprehensive audit of all visas issued from 2021 onward to applicants from Middle Eastern nations.

• A real-time terror watchlist system to proactively flag dangerous individuals.

• Mandatory enhanced social media screening before any visa is granted.

• And immediate inter-agency coordination between DHS, the FBI, and intelligence agencies.

This isn’t a new fight for Cotton. In July, he introduced the No Visas for Violent Criminals Act, targeting foreign nationals involved in pro-Hamas riots and mandating deportation within 60 days for anyone convicted. And in December, he proposed legislation to end use of the term “West Bank” in U.S. diplomatic language, replacing it with “Judea and Samaria” affirming Israel’s historic sovereignty.

Cotton’s point is simple but damning this isn’t a border crisis it’s an infiltration crisis. And the Biden White House is doing nothing to stop it.

While DHS remains silent on how a Hamas fighter made it into the heart of the U.S. and got a green card under their watch, Cotton is rallying support for immediate reforms before it happens again.

“No terrorist should be able to slip through undetected,” Cotton said bluntly.

The tragedy is this: al-Muhtadi didn’t sneak past Biden’s immigration system he walked right through it. And how many more like him are already here?

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