Cleaver committed to withdrawing House Bill 6367—the “Armed Conflict Migration Act.”
According to the United Nations, since Israel’s war against Hamas and search for hostages began following the October 7 attack, over 1.5 million Gazans—approximately 75% of the territory’s population—have been displaced from their homes. Some nations have expressed concerns about allowing in any displaced residents of Gaza, citing financial obligations as a challenge, among others. The Armed Conflict Migration Act was meant to alleviate strain and enable a path to humanitarian aid, but many public critics of the policy criticized it for the possibility of displacing Palestinian people.
Cleaver was among those to introduce the bill earlier this week in D.C.
The Ceasefire Now Resolution, co-sponsored by Rep. Cori Bush of St. Louis, is backed by 20 other House members. Days ago, Rep. Cleaver said on Up To Date that he would not sign the ceasefire resolution, citing a belief that it did not properly address the urgent need for humanitarian aid. While Cleaver claimed today to be aligned with the “ceasefire” call, he stopped short in public comments from agreeing to sign the more binding resolution brought forward by his Missouri counterpart.
In attendance at Cleaver’s office on Saturday were members of activist groups, as well as Muslim and Christian faith leaders, attorneys, and family members representing a diverse group of affected personnel from the region.
AlHadaf KC, a local organization led by Palestinians, issued the following statement after the meeting: “The community of Rep. Cleaver’s district is united across faith, race, class, and zip code in our demand for a ceasefire. The US should immediately apply pressure, as only we can, on Netanyahu’s government to stop the killings and end the siege of Gaza.”
This action follows weeks of concerted effort to move the Congressman, including daily actions, hundreds of calls, and rallies throughout the city—including an occupation of Cleaver’s office on the afternoon Nov. 8.
Maha Odah, a Palestinian Kansas Citian who occupied the Representative’s office building, spoke on the event at that time:
“We took action in Rep. Cleaver’s office to deliver our anger, our fury, our heartbreak that our own Congressman has not listened to us and shown his humanity towards Gazans,” Odah says. “We sent a clear message—either he must stand with the majority of his constituents demanding justice, or he will be written on the wrong side of history.”
