Florida Gov. DeSantis says Gaza refugees are not wanted, and would bring 'blood feud' to country

DeSantis raised concerns Wednesday the Biden administration might bring refugees from Gaza to the U.S., as he continued to criticize how other states are handling pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses.

“To take people from that part of the world and import those blood feuds to this country, that is not in your interest or your family's interest,” DeSantis said during an appearance in Hardee County. “We should not be importing people in from the Gaza Strip.”

Several national news outlets reported Wednesday that U.S. agencies have discussed resettling Palestinian refugees from Gaza —- who are now in Egypt —- with immediate family members who are American citizens.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that there was nothing to report “at this time” on changes in humanitarian assistance for people from Gaza.

“We are constantly evaluating policy proposals to further support Palestinians who are family members of American citizens, and may want to come to the United States, and we're evaluating it,” Jean-Pierre said.

DeSantis has been voicing opposition to taking in Palestinian refugees since days after Hamas attacked Israel in October, starting the war that has led to tens of thousands of Palestinians being killed in Gaza.

On Wednesday, DeSantis said the U.S. should bring in “people that actually want to assimilate into America, that actually believe in our founding principles. Not people that just want to replicate a lot of these blood feuds that we see in other parts of the world. So, our view in Florida on bringing in people from Gaza is no.”

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