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The United States has officially suspended all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza following criticism from a prominent right-leaning activist.

Getting into it: In an announcement, the State Department confirmed it is suspending all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza, including humanitarian and medical travel permits that had been issued in recent days. The department stated the move was necessary to conduct a “full and thorough review” of the procedures used to issue these visas. Officials framed the action as precautionary, meant to double-check current screening measures and security safeguards. While no specific security threat or procedural failure was cited, the agency framed the pause as a precautionary step to evaluate current vetting processes and ensure appropriate safeguards were in place. The statement did not specify how long the review would last or when visa processing might resume.

Before the suspension, a limited number of Gazans (primarily injured civilians and children) had been granted B-2 visitor visas to travel to the US for urgent medical treatment. Humanitarian groups, including HEAL Palestine and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, coordinated these efforts, with reports indicating that more than 100 people were transported to the US for care in 2024.. These visas allowed patients to access care unavailable in Gaza due to the near-total collapse of its healthcare infrastructure during the ongoing war. The recipients were “vetted” through established diplomatic channels, and the travel was organized under recognized humanitarian programs.

The review followed mounting pressure from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who launched a social media campaign claiming that the program was unsafe and accusing the State Department of admitting dangerous individuals of into the US. Loomer shared videos of injured Gazans arriving at US airports and labeled the program a direct threat to national security while urging the Trump administration to terminate it. She took credit for the visa halt following her posts, which gained traction among conservative lawmakers, including Representatives Chip Roy and Randy Fine, both of whom publicly backed her claims and demanded answers.

Although the State Department has not directly attributed its decision to Loomer’s campaign, the timing of the announcement aligned closely with her online push.

This all comes as human rights organizations have condemned the move, warning that it will block severely ill patients (many of them children) from receiving urgent treatment abroad that they cannot access inside Gaza.