Mayorkas ducks questions on pro-Hamas employee; Hawley calls him ‘despicable’

Sen. Josh Hawley unloaded on Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday after the Homeland Security secretary said he had not fired the pro-Hamas employee who worked at his department and declined to tell Congress what kinds of cases she handled as an asylum officer.

“What’s going on here? Is this typical of people that work at DHS?” said Mr. Hawley, Missouri Republican.

Mr. Mayorkas said the woman, Nejwa Ali, was hired in 2019, before his tenure. He said she was placed on leave but anything beyond that was part of an “ongoing personnel matter” that he wouldn’t discuss.

He said Mr. Hawley was insulting Homeland Security Department employees by suggesting that the woman’s pro-Hamas and anti-Israel sentiments were common.

“Perhaps he does not know that I am a child of a Holocaust survivor,” Mr. Mayorkas said. “I find his adversarial tone to be entirely misplaced. I find it to be disrespectful of me and my heritage.”

Mr. Hawley said it was Mr. Mayorkas who was showing disrespect by not answering questions about Ms. Ali’s job.

“You’re not going to tell us what this person’s done?” the senator said. “You come here unwilling to answer and suggest that it is wrong of me to ask you the question. Quite frankly, Mr. Secretary, I think your performance is despicable.”

Ms. Ali worked for the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington in 2016 and 2017. The U.S. designates the PLO as a terrorist organization.

She then started at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the legal immigration agency within Homeland Security, as an asylum officer. She now works as an immigration officer, according to her LinkedIn page.

After the Hamas sneak attack on Israel on Oct. 7, she used social media to praise the attackers and insult Israel.

When The Daily Wire reported that activity, USCIS put Ms. Ali on leave. The agency, like Mr. Mayorkas, has declined to say more about her work on immigration cases or the situation surrounding her hiring.

Mr. Mayorkas was testifying to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about threats to the U.S.

Mr. Hawley challenged the secretary on whether he would flex U.S. law to revoke visas and deport foreign students who rallied in support of Hamas.

Mr. Mayorkas would not commit to the idea but said it was being studied.

“It is a matter of law, and it requires a legal interpretation, and I am not in a position to provide that legal interpretation,” the secretary said.

“I think your answer is disappointing,” Mr. Hawley responded.