A legislative proposal by Iowa House Republicans is poised to remove international student visa holders and faculty members from Iowa academic institutions if they publicly endorse the activities of foreign terrorists groups such as Hamas. This movement follows on the heels of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, wherein he vowed to take severe and unprecedented actions, rallying all Federal resources to counter the surge of antisemitism in our educational spaces and on the streets, following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.
Last year, a wave of Pro-Palestine demonstrations swept across U.S. college premises. The intensity of the protests led to the occupation of some campus infrastructures and areas in certain instances. According to Trump’s executive order, thorough investigations are to be conducted regarding any student visa holder implicated in ‘pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation,’ with the likelihood of visa revocation.
Brenna Bird, the Iowa Attorney General, announced last year the formation of a task force. Its mission is to provide information to officials in higher education, lawyers, and law enforcement in Iowa about the increasing antisemitism. An announcement about the creation of the task force was made during a press briefing.
Christina Gish Hill, a scholar at Iowa State University, shed light on a recent protest on campus during the news conference announcing the task force. She revealed that protesters at the event called for intifada, an allusion to the Palestinian resistances in the West Bank and Gaza strip aimed at terminating Israel’s occupation of their terrains.
The source indicates that in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that over 46,000 Palestinians were killed and 109,378 injured. The enactment of House File 115 in Iowa would mandate higher educational institutions to devise policies prohibiting students, faculty, and staff on nonimmigrant visas from ‘publicly espousing terrorist activities associated with a current conflict or… persuading others to uphold or endorse terrorist activities associated with a current conflict or support a terrorist organization unless the practice or policy of the United States supports such an organization or activity.’
Should these policies be established, educational institutions are then obligated to investigate ‘credible allegations’ of students, faculty, or staff who infringe upon these policies. Violations could possibly result in suspension, termination, or expulsion from these colleges and universities.
In the aftermath of suspending, expelling, or terminating a student or an employee, academic institutions are required to update student records in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s student exchange visitor information system. This proposed legislation would further restrict any student, faculty member, or staff member from transitioning to, or enrolling at, or even seeking employment at another academic institution in Iowa.
Bolstering the enforcement of these policies, the bill would authorize the Iowa Attorney General’s Office to probe into educational institutions in cases of failed policy enforcement, and could potentially seek judicial orders forcing compliance.
In the event of non-compliance or violation of the potential legislation, accredited private educational institutions in Iowa could face the risk of being deemed ineligible for state tuition grants for the subsequent academic year.
The proposed legislation has been advanced by the two Republicans on a three-member legislative panel, Representatives Jeff Shipley and John Wills, despite apprehensions that the enactment of the bill could lead to the suppression of protected speech.
With this step, the bill has now become eligible for examination by the complete Iowa House Higher Education Committee. Regardless of ongoing debate and uncertainty, the possible implications of this legislation mandate a concerted attention towards its evolution and potential adoption.