Cotton Urges DHS Visa Audit After Hamas-Linked Arrest

Sen. Tom Cotton urged DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to conduct an immediate, comprehensive audit of all visas issued since 2021 to applicants from 'high‑risk' countries, prioritizing Palestinians processed through Egypt, after the indictment and arrest of a Gazan national in Louisiana. Federal prosecutors charged Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al‑Muhtadi with participating in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack and entering the U.S. on a fraudulent visa, alleging he was an operative with the National Resistance Brigades and citing cellphone geolocation and social‑media evidence. Cotton said the case exposed vetting failures under the Biden administration and claimed thousands of Palestinian visa applications were not adequately reviewed for digital footprints or cross-checked against terrorist watchlists. He called on DHS to audit visas from high‑risk regions and to reform vetting procedures, including enhanced social‑media monitoring and real‑time watchlist checks, to prevent future security risks.