Staff Reports
The Department of Homeland Security hired a former terrorist, prompting the House Homeland Security Committee to investigate their employment policies. Nejwa Ali, the employee, also displayed anti-Israel beliefs. After her history was revealed, USCIS placed Ali on leave, but it is unclear if the agency was aware of her PLO work when she was hired.
Rep. Mark Green, Homeland Security Committee chairman, wants Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to explain how Ali became an asylum officer and immigration adjudicator. It is concerning that she persisted in this job while actively supporting Hamas and anti-Israel sentiments on social media.
Green wrote to Secretary Mayorkas that DHS employees with ties to recognized foreign terrorist organizations should not be hired. The investigation seeks to understand why Ali was kept on despite her outspoken views.
House GOP launches probe into Homeland Security’s hiring of ex-PLO operativehttps://t.co/c09egTt6So pic.twitter.com/kBtX7igqoa
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) October 24, 2023
Jewish Secretary Mayorkas, who was personally affected by the Holocaust, has not spoken. Republicans are allowing Trump time to address the matter before acting. They noted Mayorkas' remarks praising antisemitism and his hiring of Ali, who supports Israel's aggression.
The Daily Wire first highlighted Ali's Palestinian activity, including her tenure with the PLO's Washington delegation. Despite being a terrorist organization, the PLO operated under a presidential waiver until 2018.
USCIS initially condemned antisemitism and then placed Ali on leave. Green and his colleagues are concerned that the agency's hiring officials may have neglected Ali's past. They want Ali's asylum rulings for Jewish applicants or Palestinians reviewed, as well as her employment and leave paperwork.
Green demands that Mayorkas disclose any other security issues at DHS under his leadership. Fraud and criminal activities inside USCIS have drawn criticism in recent years.
