New Inspector General Report Shoots Down White House Claims Dangerous Afghans Were Vetted

Katie Pavlich | September 07, 2022 5:00 PM

A new report from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General reveals a number of dangerous Afghans were not properly vetted by the U.S. government before being frantically evacuated from Kabul to the United States in August 2021.

"CBP [Customs and Border Protection] did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect Afghan evacuees arriving as part of OAR/OAW. We determined some of the information used to vet evacuees through U.S. Government databases, such as name, DOB, identification number, and travel document data, was inaccurate, incomplete, or missing," the investigation found. "CBP admitted or paroled evacuees who were not fully vetted into the United States. We attribute the challenges to DHS not having: (1) a list of Afghan evacuees who were unable to provide sufficient identification documents; (2) a contingency plan to support similar emergency situations; and (3) standardized policies. As a result, DHS paroled at least two individuals into the United States who posed a risk to national security and the safety of local communities and may have admitted or paroled more individuals of concern."

"According to internal DHS reports, CBP admitted or paroled dozens of evacuees with derogatory information into the country," the report continues. "The safety and the security of the American people is the highest priority for the U.S. Government. Preventing criminals, suspected terrorists, or other nefarious actors from entering the United States requires thorough screening and vetting. CBP’s use of incomplete or inaccurate data would not have yielded positive matches from intelligence databases if the individuals had derogatory records under a different name or DOB. Therefore, DHS and CBP cannot be sure they properly screened, vetted, and inspected all evacuees."