DETROIT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to block visas for several speakers scheduled to appear at the upcoming 2nd annual People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit, citing ties to terrorism. This was confirmed by the Washington Free Beacon with the Department of State.
The August 29–31 event has drawn national attention for its plans to feature Hussam Shaheen, an activist convicted for attempted murder related to a 2004 attempted terror attack in Jerusalem, and Omar Assaf, a former official with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine group, detained after the October 7 attacks. Shaheen was released as part of a prisoner exchange in February and Assaf was released from Israeli custody in April of 2024.
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A senior official with the Department of State told the Free Beacon about the move to block the visas, “Given the public invite lists seem to include a number of terrorist sympathizers, we are going through and ensuring all international speakers slated to attend the conference are being placed on a ‘look out’ status for visa applications, so we are alerted if a request is submitted and can ensure they are appropriately processed.”
Essentially, when someone is on look out status, immigration officers are instructed to review their case carefully before granting a visa, and the application is often delayed, denied, or referred to higher authorities.
A broader strategy of “continuous vetting.”
This move aligns with the Trump administration’s larger strategy to step up immigration vetting. Critics say the administration is expanding visa denials into the realm of political speech, pointing to new policies that scrutinize applicants for “anti-American” sentiment.
Free speech versus security concerns.
Civil liberties groups and academic organizations have warned that blocking speakers based on political expression risks crossing into censorship. Conference organizers say they aim to amplify Palestinian voices and highlight humanitarian issues in Gaza while critics argue that blocking the current lineup isn’t just a speech issue – it stops the glorification of individuals tied to extremist groups.
The Detroit-area event is expected to draw thousands of attendees and is being promoted under the slogan “Gaza Is the Compass.” Their first gathering in 2024 included speaker U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) who at the time was clashing with former President Biden over his administration’s support for Israel. During her appearance, she called Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “genocidal maniac.” She will also be headlining this year’s conference.
Linda Sarsour will also be in attendance. She is a a Palestinian-Muslim American political activist and a vocal supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. She has faced sharp criticism for promoting anti-Israel rhetoric, including equating Zionism with white supremacy in America, and for appearing alongside controversial activists at events viewed as hostile to Israel.
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Other speakers include the controversial Mahmoud Khalil, an anti-Israel campus activist whose role in violent protests at Columbia University led to his detention by the Trump administration before a federal judge ordered his release in June.
Rogers: no red carpet for terror apologists.
GOP Senate candidate, Michigan’s Mike Rogers has condemned the speakers scheduled to be at the conference. In a statement, he said, “We shouldn’t be rolling out the red carpet for people who praise the murder of innocent kids, parents, and grandparents, or who enable terror in our communities. They have no business rallying hate here in Michigan, and families deserve to know whether their Senate candidates will stand against it.”
RAIR (Rise Align Ignite Reclaim) Foundation USA, a grassroots organization leading a movement to reclaim the Republic from those waging war on Americans, the Constitution, the borders and Judeo- Christian values, said about the conference, “This is not free speech: this is a convergence of Hamas sympathizers, foreign agitators, and elected officials working in concert to exploit their agenda into American communities, campuses, and even elementary schools.”
Pushback from the conference organizers.
The Palestinian Youth Movement, who is helping to organize the conference, released a statement on X last week saying, “We reject the attempt by pro-Israel figures and media to smear and silence the People’s Conference for Palestine. These same figures, who spent years screeching about free speech, are now calling on the federal government to crack down on our rights and silence Palestinian organizing. We want to be very clear: we remain undeterred and committed to the struggle for Palestinian liberation.”
Visa scrutiny becomes political power play under Trump administration.
The administration’s response to the Detroit conference highlights a shift in U.S. visa policy, emphasizing security reviews over automatic approvals. Under President Trump, immigration policy has been framed as a component of national security and foreign policy, with additional scrutiny applied to individuals and groups viewed as controversial. The move indicates that foreign activists and speakers may now face closer examination before being granted entry to the United States.
