Rep. Gimenez Bill: No Loan Forgiveness for Students Convicted of Hate Crimes

(AP)

A new bill sponsored by Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., would prohibit students convicted of hate crimes from being eligible for loan forgiveness.

“We must not allow antisemites to benefit from their hate,” Gimenez said in a statement. “With this bill, we ensure that those that are convicted of a state or federal hate crime will not receive loan forgiveness benefits. Hate has no place in our nation, therefore we must and will continue to stand with the U.S. and international Jewish community.”

The “Prohibiting Student Loan Forgiveness for Antisemites Act,” comes the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed “total victory” against Hamas and condemned American opponents of the war in Gaza in a scathing speech to Congress boycotted by dozens of Democrat lawmakers and protested by thousands seeking an end to the war.

Thousands of protesters during the 2023-24 school year have flooded college campuses nationwide to protest the war in Israel, which some Jewish students said veered into antisemitism. Complaints of campus antisemitism have impacted Harvard University, Columbia University and City University of New York campuses.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., also introduced a bill to push back on the protests — the No Visas for Criminals Act would terminate any visa and require deportation within 60 days of any non-citizen convicted of a criminal offense during a protest.