The Biden administration has failed to meet a congressionally imposed requirement that it share a breakdown of where the Afghanistan evacuation stands, including a detailed listing of whom it airlifted out of Kabul, according to a senior Senate Republican.
The continuing resolution, passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden on Sept. 30, included language that mandated the Biden administration provide by Nov. 29 details of Operation Allies Welcome, the government’s ongoing evacuation and resettlement initiative. A senior lawmaker on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee told the Washington Examiner that they have not received any information from the government as of Monday, one week past the deadline.
“The Biden administration was required by law to report to Congress by November 30 on the composition and vetting of the Afghan evacuees — including who actually got on our planes and just how many special immigrant visa holders, and others who helped US forces and our allies over the last 20 years were left behind. It has failed to do so,” Sen. Rob Portman, the top Republican on HSGAC, said in a statement.
“The feckless nature of evacuation of Afghans has put our national security at risk, and I am troubled by the administration’s lack of responsibility or accountability on this issue,” Portman said.
MIGRANTS FROM ALL OVER WORLD CROSS SOUTHERN BORDER IN RECORD NUMBERS
H.R. 5305, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act, requires that the DHS secretary submit a written report 60 days after the enacted date that breaks down how many Afghans are in the country. The breakdown must include how many evacuees are at U.S. overseas bases or nonmilitary holding areas abroad, as well as the number of lawful permanent residents, SIV holders, SIV applicants, nonimmigrant visa holders, and refugee referrals.
An SIV is a special classification for foreigners granted permanent residency as a result of aiding the U.S. government during the war on terror.
Congress also asked that DHS disclose the number of Afghan evacuees who have been flagged as security concerns or are on the no-fly list, those who have been paroled into the U.S., and those who have been interviewed by DHS officials in relation to an application or petition for immigration benefits.
In addition, the costs of the ongoing U.S. operation, as well as government employees involved in the resettlement effort, were to be shared with Congress.
The Biden administration’s failure to disclose who was evacuated from Kabul follows the news that tens of thousands of Afghans brought to the United States were not fully vetted.
Biden and top Cabinet officials repeatedly claimed over the summer and fall that the government was rescuing SIV holders and U.S. allies as the Taliban took over in August. However, the large majority of people, approximately 75%, evacuated were not American citizens, green card holders, Afghan SIV holders, or applicants for the visa. As of Sept. 21, 1,800 of the 82,000 admitted into the U.S. were determined to hold SIVs, according to the DHS.
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Of the 82,000 U.S. arrivals, 4,920 were U.S. citizens, 3,280 were lawful permanent residents, and the remaining 90%, or 73,800, were Afghan nationals. DHS did not further break down how many of the 73,800 were SIV applicants or ineligible for the visa.
The DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
