Rashida Tlaib has lost the right to sponsor refugees. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made the call this week after the Michigan Democrat was caught putting her name behind three men Israel has flagged as Hamas supporters. All three had entered the country through a refugee sponsorship program, and Tlaib was listed as their sponsor.
The men were flown right back to Jordan. Tlaib was informed right then that any applicant she sends from here on out is an automatic no.
Mullin admitted that the three haven’t acted on their beliefs. Not yet, anyway. “None of them has done anything about their radical views so far,” Mullin said. “But it’s only a question of when.”
According to DHS, Israeli officials shared information with U.S. intelligence that tied the men to pro-Hamas networks. The details haven’t been made public, but officials described the evidence as “serious enough to act on immediately.”
“We aren’t going to wait for a tragedy,” a senior DHS official said. “That’s how you end up explaining yourself in front of a grieving family.”
Mullin, the former Oklahoma senator now running the Department of Homeland Security, has quickly become known for moving fast. Supporters say he treats security threats like a fighter treats an opponent, which is fitting given his background in mixed martial arts.
“He doesn’t overthink it,” said one GOP lawmaker. “He sees a problem, he handles it.”
Tlaib, meanwhile, was furious. Her office said she had sponsored the men to help them escape violence and that they had passed U.S. vetting. Her staff called Mullin’s decision “Islamophobic,” “unconstitutional,” and “an attack on every refugee family in America.”
“The congresswoman was trying to save lives,” a spokesperson said. “Now she’s being punished for it.”
That argument didn’t move many Republicans. Several said Tlaib’s record of harsh criticism of Israel made the situation look even worse. Some reminded reporters that she had been censured by the House in 2023 over her comments about the Israel-Hamas war.
“This is a pattern,” said one Republican member of the Homeland Security Committee. “At some point you have to ask whose side she’s on.”
A few Democrats defended her publicly, calling the decision heavy-handed and based on foreign intelligence that hadn’t been independently confirmed. Others stayed silent, clearly not eager to be dragged into the fight.
On social media, the reaction was explosive. Conservatives celebrated Mullin’s quick response, while Tlaib’s supporters accused the administration of targeting her because of her background.
Mullin didn’t seem worried about the criticism. Asked whether he would reconsider, he shook his head. “My job is to protect Americans,” he said. “Not to protect anybody’s feelings.” Fast action like this is what people voted for. Tlaib should be thrown out of Congress.
