A pro-Hamas official within the Biden administration has been placed on administrative leave one day after her ties to a Palestinian lobbyist organization were revealed.
Nejwa Ali is no longer reporting for duty at the U.S. Customs and Immigrations Services office, a spokesperson confirmed to the Washington Examiner. She and CIS were scorched after it was uncovered that she made public comments praising Hamas terror and previously worked for the Palestinian Liberation Organization, which was expelled from the U.S. by the Trump administration.
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
A Daily Wire investigation resurfaced social media posts made by Ali in recent years depicting racist cartoon images of Jewish people and drawings of Hamas-style terrorists parachuting into Jerusalem carrying firearms.
“F*** Israel and any Jew that supports Israel,” she wrote on her Instagram page shortly after this month’s Hamas terrorist attacks that have now killed over 1,400 Israelis.
“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 on Instagram.
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said Ali may have run afoul of the law by advocating for terrorism as an agent of the government.
“Now explain how she got hired in the first place, and what laws she broke by advocating for terrorism as a government employee,” he wrote on X.
Now explain how she got hired in the first place, and what laws she broke by advocating for terrorism as a government employee https://t.co/Tgtx7bfn85
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 18, 2023
“Unacceptable and deeply disturbing. We’ll be getting answers,” added Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC).
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
When the Daily Wire asked Ali for comment, she originally was unrepentant, saying her biases did not affect her job.
“That’s none of your f***ing business. Mind your business before I call the police. If I were you I’d respectfully hang up the phone right now,” she was quoted as telling the outlet.
She similarly dismissed concerns about her views on Israel affecting her work with the American government, saying, “That does not affect the ability to do my job at all. You can mind your own business.”
In January, Ali transitioned to the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (CIS) as an “Adjudication Officer” which the agency describes as responsible for “analyz[ing] new or amended legislation and policy, prepar[ing] written reports of findings, and review[ing] and mak[ing] determinations on cases for immigration benefits.” Adjudication officers also work on the front lines to ensure that immigrants entering the country do not pose a domestic threat of terrorism.
CIS declined to state whether it properly vetted Ali before hiring her, though added in a statement that “applicants seeking employment with USCIS are thoroughly vetted and subject to extensive security and background checks before they can receive a permanent position with the agency.”