A group of Senate Democrats is urging the State Department to relax the standards by which Americans and their relatives are allowed to leave Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. In a letter the 16 Democrat and Independent senators make their appeal to Secretary of State Blinkin and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. They’re asking that U.S border assistance  be expanded beyond Americans and their immediate relatives. The coalition -lead by Senator Cory Booker- is also seeking more assistance for relatives of American citizens who have already managed to depart from  Gaza and are hoping to unite with family inside he United States.