U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary

07/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/01/2024 18:15

Watchdog Report Corroborates Grassley Oversight of DHS, FBI Failures to Properly Vet Afghan Evacuees

07.01.2024

Watchdog Report Corroborates Grassley Oversight of DHS, FBI Failures to Properly Vet Afghan Evacuees

BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA - U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is renewing his scrutiny of federal vetting and resettlement protocols in light of a May 6 Homeland Security watchdog report, which further verifies his long-held concern the Biden administration did not adequately screen Afghan evacuees after botching the U.S. withdrawal from the region. Grassley wrote the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to demand answers on the DHS Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) latest findings.

"I've sounded alarms about the failed Afghan evacuee vetting and resettlement procedures since the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Rather than taking accountability and addressing known vulnerabilities, the departments responsible largely dismissed congressional warnings. As a result, individuals who may pose security threats are setting up shop on American soil," Grassley said. "On top of all this, the Biden administration continues to project weakness on the global stage and allow millions of illegal immigrants, including hundreds with ISIS ties, into our country. This OIG report is another reminder America is less safe on President Biden's watch."

Grassley wants to know the steps DHS will take to close recommendations outlined in the OIG's report. He is also asking for a series of records related to the Afghan evacuees paroled into the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). In his oversight inquiry to the FBI, Grassley is again taking issue with the bureau's improper classification of the investigative data that ought to be unclassified and available for the public to see.

Read Grassley's letters to DHS and FBI at the corresponding links.

Background

The Biden administration stood up OAW to assist resettling evacuees, family members, journalists, activists and humanitarian workers in America. DHS spearheaded and coordinated OAW. In addition to DHS and its counterparts, agencies involved include the FBI, the Defense Department (DOD), the National Counterterrorism Center, Customs and Border Protection and the State Department. To protect public safety and national security, these agencies were supposed to screen and vet Afghans evacuees before admitting them into the U.S. for resettlement. In the last two years, 97,000 Afghans have relocated to the U.S. under OAW, with 77,000 of them securing humanitarian parole.

OIG investigations have unearthed glaring discrepancies in screening and vetting practices. For example, DOD OIG in 2022 found DHS had not vetted Afghan evacuees against DOD tactical data before paroling them. The FBI has flagged at least 50 paroled Afghan evacuees as "potentially significant security concerns" yet has not indicated it knows their whereabouts.

Overview of DHS OIG Report, "DHS Has a Fragmented Process for Identifying and Resolving Derogatory Information for Operation Allies Welcome Parolees"

  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not move forward with removal proceedings against an OAW parolee or terminate parole when it denies a benefit application due to derogatory information [that which prompts a request for investigation or clarification because of potential national security concerns, criminal conviction, fraud or other misconduct].
  • USCIS as of March 2023 had not initiated removal proceedings for any parolees whose applications were denied or parole, expired.
  • USCIS case referral criteria do not align with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) case acceptance criteria, causing USCIS and ICE to waste resources.
  • Data errors run rampant in USCIS and ICE records, specifically Alien numbers, for the OAW population.
  • The ICE protocols for removing OAW parolees to Afghanistan depend on a third-party country.
  • FBI refused to provide USCIS full access to its National Crime Information Center Interstate Identification Index (Triple I) System.
  • Some OAW parolees have been convicted of "crimes such as abusive sexual contact with a minor, indecent exposure, sexual assault, auto grand larceny, assault, and battery."

Grassley's History on Afghan Withdrawal, Evacuee Vetting

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