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First on FOX – Senate Republicans want to keep people overstaying their visas to the same standards as illegal immigration, in the wake of the tragedy in Boulder, Colon.
Senator Jim Banks, R-Ind. will introduce a law on Tuesday that will reclassify the behavior of overstaying visas as “illegal entry.”
Flashback: US lawmakers warned of terrorist attacks from foreigners long before Boulder
Senator Jim Banks’ bill, Mohamed Sabri Soliman, an Egyptian citizen whose visa expired in March, appeared shortly after a weekend attack in Colorado and was said to have targeted Israeli protests. (Getty/Boulder PD)
Banks’ bill will appear on the heels of a weekend attack in Colorado, Egyptian citizen Mohamed Sabri Soliman, whose visa expired in March.
On one page of the bill obtained by Fox News Digital, Banks explicitly pointed out Soliman along with the September 11, 2001 hijacker as an example of people who overstayed visas.
Biden administration’s work permit granted on suspicion of staying visa for terrorists in Boulder
Trump blamed Boulder in Colorado and is said to have been implemented by Egyptian National Mohamed Soliman as a product of Biden’s open border policy. (AP/Getty)
In particular, Soliman came to the United States two years ago under a Biden-led work visa from the Department of Homeland Security.
“The Boulder terrorists and 9/11 hijackers weren’t sneaking in, they were exaggerating their visas,” Banks said in a statement in Fox News Digital. “It’s just as serious, just as dangerous. My bill cracks down on criminal visa duties to stop the threat before it arises.”
The latest data from DHS for 2023 found that over 565,000 people continue on visas.
The Boulder terrorist attack puts Biden-era immigration policy on the hot sheet: “We need to turn it all back.”
Alejandro Mayorkas, then secretary of homeland security, will speak at Politico’s annual AI and Tech Summit held in Washington on September 17, 2024. (Anna Money Maker/Getty Images)
In addition to reclassifying people who continue their visas, his law would make oversuspension of visas a misdemeanor criminal punishable by up to six months behind bars for first-time offenders, and ending up up to two years on subsequent offenses.
Civil penalties will also be raised between $500 and $1,000, with the penalty doubled for each subsequent violation. Currently, Visa’s overstay penalties start at $50.
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Soliman on Sunday is said to have attacked a group that “running for their lives” who were engaged in peaceful protests defending the release of hostages Hamas held. He was said to have used Molotov cocktails in the group, causing injury to eight people, ages 52 to 88. One of the victims was a Holocaust survivor.
Since then, Soliman has been charged with federal hate crimes, attempted murder, assault and other charges after the FBI called it a “targeted terrorist attack.” In total, the charges against Soliman carry a total of 624 years.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital, which covers the US Senate.
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