[ad_1]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacked “critical data to properly screen, screen and screen” Afghan refugees. Taliban takeover It occurred in Afghanistan in August 2021, according to a report issued by the agency’s watchdog and obtained by CBS News.
A 34-page report by the DHS Inspector General’s Office (OIG) found that Afghan evacuees who were “not fully vetted” after a large-scale airlift by the Department of Defense were given either parole or temporary stays in the United States. concluded that it gave legal permission. The United States in the chaotic final days of the withdrawal of US troops.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not always have critical data to adequately screen, vet, or inspect evacuees,” said DHS Inspector General Joseph Kaffari. the report said. “We have determined that some of the information used to screen evacuees through U.S. government databases is inaccurate, incomplete, or missing, including names, dates of birth, identification numbers, and travel document data. did.”
Due to unreliable or inadequate data and a lack of standardized vetting policies, Watchdog found in its investigation that “DHS does not allow individuals to enter the United States or pose a risk to national security and community safety. He may have been released on parole.”
The inspector general’s office said internal DHS documents show that “dozens” of displaced Afghans with “derogatory information” entered the United States in the past year, but Observers confirmed only two such cases.
According to reports, the DHS acknowledged Afghan refugees previously released from prison by the Taliban. According to reports, the evacuees were deported by the Immigration Services Agency (ICE) after authorities learned of this information about three weeks after the person’s arrival in the United States.
A second Afghan refugee was placed in deportation proceedings three months after his arrival after the FBI discovered he was raising a “national security concern,” according to the report. .
The United States has granted parole to approximately 72,550 of the more than 79,000 Afghan refugees who arrived in Afghanistan between July 2021 and January 2022, according to DHS data.
The report found that DHS lacked critical data in processing and receiving Afghan evacuees, citing the lack of information largely due to the unique situation of those at the heart of the resettlement effort. It pointed out.
“CBP admitted or paroled evacuees with questionable names and dates of birth, due in part to cultural differences,” the report said. “In Afghanistan, it is customary for some individuals to have only one name. Recording or knowing their exact name is not always part of Afghan culture. [date of birth]In Afghanistan, national law mandates the registration of children at birth, but years of conflict have destroyed administrative mechanisms and the social institutions that support them. “
Officials went to the inspector general’s office, Afghan refugees Not knowing their dates of birth prompted U.S. officials to select the first day of the year in which they were born as their birthday, according to reports. Collecting this information often required an interpreter or translator, according to investigators.
In its response to the draft OIG report, senior DHS leaders rejected the report’s central premise and its recommendations, citing that the U.S. government would ban “water lilies,” or military bases abroad, and all Afghan people arriving in the U.S. Pointed out that the person was vetted and examined. airport.
“After being evacuated from Afghanistan and before they are allowed to travel to the United States, Afghan citizens will be subject to an international security clearance for which the U.S. government collects and verifies biometrics (such as facial images and fingerprints) and biographical information (such as names, dates, etc.). I was taken to a transit point (birth, identity card information, etc.) about all Afghans between the ages of 14 and 79,” the ministry wrote in its response.
The evacuees’ biometric data was compared to “DOD DHS and FBI repositories,” and the biographical information collected was reviewed by the NCTC, FBI, and other intelligence community partners, according to the department.
“In addition, all Afghans, regardless of age, submit their biographical information for flight manifest screening consistent with standard screening procedures for all other foreign nationals traveling to the United States. “Only Afghan citizens who passed these comprehensive checks were authorized to travel to the United States. Those who failed these checks remained outside the United States.” rice field.”
The DHS also noted that two cases of Afghans raising security concerns after parole indicated that the interagency review system worked as individuals were detained after defamatory information surfaced. did.
Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray was pressed over the situation of dozens of Afghans flagged as potential national security risks. It indicated it was “actively” investigating these incidents.
“We have a lot of information about where people are,” Ray told lawmakers. “I can’t sit here right now and say I know where everyone is at any given time.”
After the evacuation, in November 2021, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, a Republican member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said, “This administration’s lack of proper screening and scrutiny of Afghan evacuees has been a major concern for Afghan evacuees prior to 9/11. Reminds me of the security in Afghanistan.Remember we were at war in Afghanistan for 20 years.We know ISIS-K and Al Qaeda are active in Afghanistan.These dynamics in Afghanistan should be reflected by ensuring that the normal national security review process is applied to all evacuees.
The majority of evacuees from Afghanistan were granted parole to enter the United States because they had not yet completed visa and refugee formalities after mass displacement last summer. Parole allows authorities to accept immigrants who do not have U.S. visas or permanent residency for urgent humanitarian reasons. Because of this, Afghan evacuees did not have to show passports, visas or travel documents for parole.
Parole allows beneficiaries to live and work legally in the United States, but only temporarily. However, parolees have no pathway to permanent residency in the United States. As things stand, the tens of thousands of Afghan refugees on parole may eventually face a legal maze unless they are granted asylum.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress recently introduced legislation that would allow anyone paroled in the United States to apply for a green card. And one of the arguments that garnered conservative support for the proposal is that it would allow the US to re-screen these evacuees, as obtaining a green card requires an interview.
In a statement Wednesday, the DHS said of the inspector general’s report that it “disagrees with two recommendations made in the DHS Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) report on Operation Allies Welcome (OAW).” The department also strongly contested Watchdog’s conclusions regarding the review of Afghan evacuees.
“Despite the fact that on many occasions the DHS has provided the OIG with a comprehensive understanding of the OAW review and review process, the OIG report demonstrates a rigorous, multi-layered review and review process involving multiple key roles. It does not accurately characterize the process of other federal agencies,” the DHS statement continued. “Furthermore, the report does not accurately account for the fact that all individuals paroled in the United States as part of OAW have already undergone ongoing review.”
DHS said Afghans and other foreign nationals entering the United States must undergo periodic screening “to ensure the continued protection of public safety and national security.”
Also, if defamatory information surfaces after an evacuee enters the United States, federal law enforcement agencies may take “appropriate measures, including opening criminal investigations, initiating prosecutions, revoking parole, and/or proceedings for the individual’s deportation.” We will take appropriate measures.”
The department also said it would work with federal partners to “continue to assist eligible Afghan nationals in resettling to the United States.”
Catherine Herridge
[ad_2]
Source link
