Homeland Security Official Who Handled Asylum Claims on Leave After Her Role in Palestinian Organization Resurfaces
The Department of Homeland Security placed an official on administrative leave after a report surfaced she previously worked as a spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Nejwa Ali, who was an adjudication officer for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was responsible for reviewing asylum claims for those seeking to enter the United States, The Daily Wire reported.
The day Palestinian Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing over 1,400 people and capturing approximately 200, Ali, who is American-born, wrote in an Instagram post, “F*** Israel and any Jew that supports Israel.”
That post included a picture of Hamas terrorists parachuting in with guns drawn.
The U.S. Gov’t Hired A Pro-Hamas PLO Spokeswoman To Handle Asylum Claims
Unacceptable and deeply disturbing. We’ll be getting answers.
https://t.co/YFSqH97SI0— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) October 18, 2023
“Palestine will be free one day. F*** APARTHEID Israel and any Israeli that supports that bulls***. F*** you, may Allah forgive you. and spare us the crocodile tears, I sure as hell give zero f***s,” she wrote in another post.
DHS spokesman Matthew Bourke emailed the Washington Examiner’s Gabe Kaminsky on Wednesday regarding Ali, stating, “This individual has been placed on administrative leave.”
BREAKING: The DHS employee has officially been put on leave, a spokesman tells @dcexaminer https://t.co/PhwDxOcikZ pic.twitter.com/33JN6VA6gO
— Gabe Kaminsky (@gekaminsky) October 18, 2023
“USCIS strongly condemns antisemitism and the use of violent rhetoric in any form,” Bourke added.
“USCIS employees are held to high ethical standards both on and off duty, including their presence on social media. Any violation of these standards is taken seriously by the agency,” he said.
Of course, that raises the question, how was Ali hired in the first place?
Emilio Gonzalez, former director of USCIS during the George W. Bush administration, told The Washington Times that Ali “should be terminated.”
Gonzalez was shocked USCIS ever hired her.
“The PLO is a designated foreign terrorist organization,” Gonzalez told the outlet. “The fact that she worked for them and then was hired by the Department of Homeland Security tells me that somebody dropped the ball with her background checks.”
The Times reported that her LinkedIn profile used to show her work history included being a public affairs officer for the PLO’s delegation in the U.S. from 2016 to 2017. However, as of Wednesday, that portion of her public profile had been deleted.
The Trump administration expelled the PLO’s D.C. office, where Ali worked, from the country in 2018.
However, Ali then landed her job with USCIS in the D.C. swamp.
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley posted on X a copy of a letter he wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday seeking answers about what cases Ali has reviewed in her role as adjudication officer.
The senator pointed out that one of Ali’s social media posts included the hashtags “#asylumseekers #palestine #refugeeswelcome,” which suggested to him she might “preference certain immigration cases over others at DHS.”
The Biden DHS needs to explain – now – why they had a pro-terrorist, pro-genocide anti-Semitic radical adjudicating asylum claims and why in the world she hasn’t been fired pic.twitter.com/e0ct9RnfWb
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 19, 2023
Hawley posted on X, “The Biden DHS needs to explain – now – why they had a pro-terrorist, pro-genocide anti-Semitic radical adjudicating asylum claims and why in the world she hasn’t been fired.”
Putting Ali on leave is a good first step, but a quick employment termination should follow.
The American taxpayers don’t need to fund this kind of hate, nor have her in a position of trust, where Americans’ lives could potentially be placed in danger based on who she recommends be allowed into the country.
A good standard operating procedure for DHS is that we don’t want to employ any terrorist sympathizers in government.
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