The Safeguarding Americans from Extremism Act of 2023 (H.R. 6211), or the SAFE Act of 2023, is a proposed

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

introduced in the 118th session of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. Introduced on November 2, 2023, by Representative

Ryan Zinke Ryan Keith Zinke ( ; born November 1, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Zinke served in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2013 and as the U.S. re ...

( R- MT) in response to the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

, the legislation would prohibit

Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

from entering the United States, and revoke visas, refugee status, or asylum granted to Palestinians on or after October 1. In a statement, Zinke boasted that the bill constitutes the "most anti-

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

immigration legislation I have seen and it’s well deserved". Zinke touted the legislation as a bill to "Expel Palestinians from the United States" on his congressional website.

Background

Following the

October 7 Hamas attack On October 7, 2023, Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups launched coordinated armed incursions from the Gaza Strip into the Gaza envelope of southern Israel, the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab–Israeli ...

, a coalition of Republican lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State

Antony Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the 71st United States secretary of state from 2021 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor, deputy national security advisor ...

and Secretary of Homeland Security

Alejandro Mayorkas Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas (born November 24, 1959) is an American attorney and government official who was the seventh United States secretary of homeland security, serving from 2021 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Mayorkas previ ...

to deport individuals on student visas who were determined to have "expressed support for

Legislative provisions

Under the legislation, Secretary of Homeland Security

would be prohibited from giving

Temporary Protected Status Temporary protected status (TPS) is given by the United States government to eligible nationals of designated countries, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security, who are present in the United States. In general, the Secretary of Hom ...

(TPS), refugee or asylum status to individuals with Palestinian Authority passports. The bill would mandate the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

(DHS) collaborates with officials from

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

(ICE) and

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and Immigration to the United States, immigration system. History ...

(USCIS) to “identify” individuals “without lawful status, including newly revoked status" in order to deport them.

Legislative history

Original cosponsors

The legislation received ten original co-sponsors in the House of Representatives: Representatives Andy Harris (R- MD),

Aaron Bean Aaron Paul Bean (born January 25, 1967) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Florida's 4th congressional district since 2023. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Bean ...

(R- FL),

Ralph Norman Ralph Warren Norman Jr. (born June 20, 1953) is an American real estate developer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. His district includes most of the South Carolina side of the Charlotte metropolitan ...

(R- SC),

Scott DesJarlais Scott Eugene DesJarlais ( ; born February 21, 1964) is an American politician and physician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2011. The district stretches across East and Middle Tennessee. He is a member of the Republican Party. E ...

(R-TN),

Clay Higgins Glen Clay Higgins (born August 24, 1961) is an American politician and reserve law enforcement officer from the state of Louisiana. A Republican, Higgins is the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. The district, which ...

(R- LA),

Ronny Jackson Ronny Lynn Jackson (born May 4, 1967) is an American physician, politician, and former United States Navy officer who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, his ...

(R- TX),

Bill Posey William Joseph Posey ( ; born December 18, 1947) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he formerly served in the Florida Senate and the Florida ...

(R-FL), Barry Moore (R- AL),

Marjorie Taylor Greene Marjorie Taylor Greene ( Taylor; born May 27, 1974), sometimes referred to by her initials MTG, is an American far-rightSources describing Greene as "far-right" include: * * * * * * * * * * * politician, businesswoman, and cons ...

(R- GA) and

Andy Biggs Andrew Steven Biggs (born November 7, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician who represents in the United States House of Representatives. The district, which was once represented by U.S. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, is in the he ...

(R- AZ).

Additional cosponsors

H.R.6211 has since been co-sponsored by six additional members: Representatives

Claudia Tenney Claudia L. Tenney (born February 4, 1961) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 24th congressional district since 2023. Previously, she represented the 22nd district from 2017 to 2019 and from ...

(R- NY),

Bob Good Robert George Good (born September 11, 1965) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the U.S. representative from Virginia's 5th congressional district from 2021 to 2025. Prior to his election to Congress, Good ...

(R- VA),

Matt Rosendale Matthew Martin Rosendale Sr. (born July 7, 1960) is an American politician and former real estate developer who represented Montana in the United States House of Representatives from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Republican Party, Rosendale ser ...

(R-MT), Jim Baird (R- IN), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and

Brian Babin Brian Philip Babin ( ; born March 23, 1948) is an American dentist, politician and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 2015 ...

(R-TX).

Public response

Response in Congress

The legislation was strongly condemned as "fascism and pure bigotry" by the three sitting

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

members of Congress, Representatives

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib ( ; born July 24, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician serving as a U.S. representative from Michigan since 2019, representing the state's 12th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, sh ...

(D- MI),

Ilhan Omar Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...

(D- MN), and

André Carson André Darryl Carson (born October 16, 1974) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the northern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Ind ...

(D-IN). The bill was also condemned by a pair of two Jewish Democratic members of Congress,

Greg Landsman Gregory John Landsman (born December 4, 1976) is an American politician who has been the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from since 2023. The district is based in Cincinnati, and includes most of its inner suburbs. A ...

(D- OH) and

Dan Goldman Daniel Sachs Goldman (born February 26, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer who has been the U.S. representative for New York's 10th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the lead m ...

(D-NY), who are both considered pro-

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

on policy matters. Landsman and Goldmans' resolution condemned the bill as "un-American, bigoted, and is designed to inflame tensions which could result in violence", and says the legislation "dangerously conflates Palestinians with Hamas". Other Democratic members of Congress, including

Ritchie Torres Ritchie John Torres (born March 12, 1988) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served on the New York City Council from 2014 to 2020. His congression ...

(D-NY) and

Barbara Lee Barbara Jean Lee (; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a United States House of Repr ...

(D- CA), also condemned the legislation. In response, Zinke stood by the bill, arguing that Democrats are trying to "distract from Biden's foreign policy failures that they're trying to start identity and culture wars".

Other reception

Sherrilyn Ifill Sherrilyn Ifill (born December 17, 1962) is an American lawyer and the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights ( Vernon E. Jordan) at Howard University. She is a law professor and former president and director-counsel of the NAA ...

, the former president of the

NAACP Legal Defense Fund The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is an American civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City. LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. Although LDF ca ...

, condemned the bill as a "degrading act of xenophobic public targeting", arguing that Zinke was "not fit for public service". A coalition of students at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

circled a petition in opposition to the legislation.

Similar legislation

On October 17, 2023, Senator

Steve Daines Steven David Daines ( ; born August 20, 1962) is an American politician and former corporate executive serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Montana, a seat he has held since ...

(R-MT) introduced the "Guaranteeing Aggressors Zero Admission (GAZA) Act". The legislation would prohibit the federal government from giving visas to Palestinians. The bill would also prevent Palestinians from entering the United States through the DHS's parole program.{{Cite web , last=Miller , first=Blair , date=2023-11-06 , title=Zinke, Daines introduce bills seeking to block Palestinians from US , url=https://dailymontanan.com/2023/11/06/zinke-daines-introduce-bills-seeking-to-block-palestinians-from-us/ , access-date=2024-01-21 , website=Daily Montanan , language=en-US

References

Proposed legislation of the 118th United States Congress United States proposed federal immigration and nationality legislation