Grassley Condemns Biden-Harris Admin for Ignoring Alarms about Afghan Evacuee Vetting, Resettlement Procedures

Grassley Condemns Biden-Harris Admin for Ignoring Alarms about Afghan Evacuee Vetting, Resettlement Procedures

FBI arrests Afghan evacuee plotting ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on U.S. soil

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today issued the below statement on the FBI arresting an Afghan native who secured a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) to enter the U.S. following the Biden-Harris administration's botched troop withdrawal from the region in 2021. The individual, now in federal custody, was plotting an ISIS-fueled terrorist attack on American soil in the coming weeks.

"I was highly vocal about the need to thoroughly vet SIV applicants during - and in the weeks, months and years following - the Biden-Harris administration's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. But the White House, executive agencies and many of my Democratic colleagues in Congress were quick to dismiss those glaring alarms," Grassley said. "The number one job of our government is to protect its citizens. By hiding behind clerical excuses, refusing to take accountability and neglecting to address known vulnerabilities in vetting and resettlement processes, the Biden-Harris administration failed to prioritize Americans' safety and, once again, projected weakness on the global stage."

Grassley's Oversight, Legislative Work

• July 1, 2024: Watchdog Report Corroborates Grassley Oversight of DHS, FBI Failures to Properly Vet Afghan Evacuees
• July 21, 2023: Grassley & Judiciary Committee Colleagues Introduce Bill To Protect Afghan Allies
• May 12, 2023: Grassley Joins Thune, Risch, Colleagues To Introduce Bill To Release Afghanistan Dissent Cable
• September 21, 2022: Grassley: Americans Deserve To Know How FBI Is Addressing Afghan Evacuee Vetting Failures
• September 7, 2022: Grassley Statement On DHS Inspector General Finding Deficiencies With Vetting Of Afghan Parolees
• August 22, 2022: Senators Seek Transparency On Flagged Afghan Evacuees Amid Ongoing Concerns Of Vetting, Security Failures
• August 4, 2022: Grassley Statement At FBI Oversight Hearing
• May 27, 2022: Grassley, Portman, Inhofe Demand Update From FBI On Afghan Evacuees Flagged For Security Concerns, Denounce DHS' Continued Failure To Use All Vetting Tools
• February 17, 2022: Grassley Statement On Watchdog Warnings About Deficient Vetting Of Afghan Evacuees
• December 22, 2021: Portman, Grassley, Shelby, Risch, Inhofe & Capito Request Biden Administration Provide Overdue Report On Composition & Vetting Of Afghan Evacuees
• October 28, 2021: State Dept. AWOL As Americans, Allies Remain Stranded In Afghanistan
• September 27, 2021: Grassley On Afghanistan Collapse Through The Lens Of The Inspector General
• September 27, 2021: Grassley Presses Justice Dept., FBI On Terrorist Travel After Afghanistan Withdrawal
• September 15, 2021: Grassley On President Biden's Afghanistan Failures
• August 31, 2021: Grassley To Biden Admin: Don't Let Bad Actors Take Advantage Of Chaotic Afghanistan Withdrawal
• August 26, 2021: Grassley Statement on Afghanistan

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