{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-answers-biden-dhs-employment-pro-hamas-spokeswoman-urges-firing/", "Hawley Demands Answers from Biden DHS for Employment of Pro-Hamas Spokeswoman, Urges Firing", "2023-10-19", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for the termination of DHS employee, Nejwa Ali, who has a documented history of making blatantly antisemitic, pro-Hamas statements.\n\nRecent reporting reveals that Nejwa Ali has shared pictures glorifying Hamas terrorists and espoused other hateful, antisemitic rhetoric. Her statements clearly express that she harbors intensely negative views against the State of Israel and supports the recent attacks from Hamas terrorists.\n\n\u201cI am alarmed by reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently employs a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as an officer charged with adjudicating U.S. immigration cases,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cMs. Ali\u2019s reported statements make clear that she harbors intensely negative views against the State of Israel and supports the recent barbarism perpetrated against its citizens by Hamas terrorists.\u201d\n\nSenator Hawley pushed for answers on how many immigration cases involving Palestinians, Israelis, or other Jewish applicants Ms. Ali has reviewed, and what safeguards are in place in the asylum adjudication process to remediate any abuses committed by strongly prejudiced immigration officers.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 19, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas\n\nSecretary\n\nUnited States Department of Homeland Security\n\n2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE\n\nWashington, D.C. 20528\n\nSecretary Mayorkas:\n\nI am alarmed by reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently employs a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as an officer charged with adjudicating U.S. immigration cases. According to reports and publicly available records, this employee, Nejwa Ali, has a documented history of making virulently antisemitic, pro-Hamas statements, including in the immediate aftermath of Hamas\u2019 savage attack on innocent American and Israeli civilians. These statements appear to cast severe doubt on her ability to impartially evaluate immigration cases. I am glad to see that she has now been placed on administrative leave\u2014but that is not enough. If these reports are accurate, you must terminate her employment immediately.\n\nMs. Ali\u2019s reported statements make clear that she harbors intensely negative views against the State of Israel and supports the recent barbarism perpetrated against its citizens by Hamas terrorists. For example, following Hamas\u2019 October 7 terrorist attack, she reportedly posted on Instagram: \u201cF*** Israel, the government, and its military. Are you ready for your downfall?\u201d She also reportedly posted an image depicting armed terrorists paragliding into Israel with the caption \u201cFree PALESTINE.\u201d Her social media appears to contain numerous examples of anti-Israel and antisemitic statements, including \u201cIsraeli, American privilege is disgusting\u201d and \u201cF*** Israel and any Jew that supports Israel.\u201d\n\nMs. Ali\u2019s troubling personal views apparently carry into her professional life\u2014including her roles at DHS. She previously worked as a public affairs officer at the PLO\u2019s office in Washington, D.C. before that office was shut down by the Trump Administration. In her current role, she reportedly works as an \u201cAdjudication Officer\u201d within U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) where she is tasked with \u201creview[ing] and mak[ing] determinations on cases for immigration benefits,\u201d among other responsibilities. Prior to this role, she reportedly worked as an \u201cAsylum Officer\u201d responsible for adjudicating asylum applications and conducting credible and reasonable fear screenings. Concerningly, Ms. Ali has explicitly linked her prejudicial views to her job. For instance, in one social media post associated with her name, she included the hashtags \u201c#asylumseekers #palestine #refugeeswelcome\u201d\u2014suggesting that she may preference certain immigration cases over others at DHS. This is unacceptable.\n\nAs Secretary, you must assure the American people that those charged with determining who enters the United States do so impartially and without prejudice. If the above reports are true and accurate, you must terminate Ms. Ali\u2019s employment at DHS without delay. Additionally, please provide answers to the following questions:\n\nHow many immigration cases involving Palestinians has Ms. Ali reviewed? For each case, please detail Ms. Ali\u2019s involvement and the final determination.\n\nHow many immigration cases involving Israelis or other Jewish applicants has Ms. Ali reviewed? For each case, please detail Ms. Ali\u2019s involvement and the final determination.\n\nWhat safeguards are in place in the asylum adjudication process to remediate any abuses committed by strongly prejudiced immigration officers?\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-answers-biden-dhs-employment-pro-hamas-spokeswoman-urges-firing/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8898209780454636, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}