Marjorie Taylor Greene Wants to Deport Hamas Supporters

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene voiced support for deporting supporters of Hamas after the militant group launched an attack against Israel earlier in October.

Hamas, on October 7, led the deadliest Palestinian attack on Israel in history, and Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. The Associated Press reported that at least 1,400 people in Israel and 2,670 people in Gaza have been killed since the fighting erupted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza. He has vowed to "demolish Hamas," ordering 1.1 million people in northern Gaza to relocate to the south.

The attack against Israel has drawn bipartisan rebuke from the United States government, a crucial ally to Israel that has provided billions of dollars in military aid over the years. It has also fueled tensions domestically over the longstanding Israel-Palestinian conflict that has divided the country for decades, though Americans generally support Israel, polls have found.

Supporters of both Israel and Palestinians have held rallies to show solidarity amid the escalation. Pro-Palestinian protests have drawn the ire of political leaders from both major parties, with some critics raising concerns that some attending those protests have failed to adequately rebuke Hamas or have even shown support.

Others, however, note that supporting Palestinians does not equate to supporting Hamas or the latest attack against Israel.

Greene, a Georgia Republican, said the U.S. should deport supporters of Hamas in a Sunday night post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

She responded to a post from Stephen Miller, who served as an adviser to former President Donald Trump and called for the U.S. to revoke visas from Hamas "supporters."

"I agree," Greene posted. "And I'd like to add many more to the deportation list. Millions actually."

It remains unclear whether there are "millions" of Hamas supporters in the United States. There is no public polling on support for Hamas, though polls have found widespread support for Israel following the attack. A CNN poll of 1,003 Americans from October 12 to 13 found that only four percent of Americans said they felt no sympathy for the Israeli people—but that poll did not ask whether they supported Hamas.

Critics also questioned whether her plan is feasible.

"Tell us all both of you don't know how visas and immigration laws work and what's required to revoke and deport. I'm also curious how you would go about determining they are in fact Hamas supporters. Well I already got a good idea," posted @A_to_theZ_Amber.

Newsweek reached out to Greene's office for comment via email.

Germany and the United Kingdom are among the countries taking action against individuals who show support for Hamas.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a ban on Hamas activities, saying that anyone who "supports terror organizations like Hamas commits a criminal offense," according to German media outlet DW News. Although Hamas does not have an official branch in Germany, about 450 individuals in the country support Hamas. German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser was also considering the deportation of "offenders from the Islamist scene, if they are not German passport holders."

Meanwhile, foreign students studying in the United Kingdom who praise Hamas could also be deported from the country, according to a report from British publication The Telegraph. Expulsion would require "proportionate" evidence, according to the report.