Homeland Republicans Demand Answers on DHS's Improper Vetting of Afghan Evacuees Following Biden's Catastrophic Withdrawal

Press Release

"The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan led to widespread Taliban control of the country in a matter of days and the tragic death of 13 U.S. service members, along with hundreds of Afghans in an ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) orchestrated terrorist attack. The withdrawal also established a power vacuum that emboldened terrorist groups and threatened our national security interests."

"[M]onths after the withdrawal, the U.S. government resettled approximately 88,500 Afghan nationals in the United States. On September 6, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a report stating that DHS encountered obstacles to screen, vet, and inspect all evacuees during the crisis following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The DHS OIG reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lacked critical data to properly vet evacuees, but CBP still admitted or paroled evacuees who were not fully vetted into the United States. This shortfall in DHS's screening and vetting capabilities raises serious national security concerns for the state of U.S. homeland security."

"DHS must be forthcoming and transparent to the Committee and the American people about the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. To date, DHS has stonewalled requests from Committee members for information about the withdrawal. The Committee transmitted multiple requests for documents and information concerning the withdrawal, dating back to August 2021. These requests remain either wholly unsatisfied or insufficiently satisfied."

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