The Department of Homeland Security has flagged more than 40 Afghan evacuees over possible security risks.
Forty-four evacuees were flagged over the last two weeks, according to DHS vetting records reviewed by the Washington Post. Fifteen of them have been transferred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and sixteen others have not been cleared to travel to the United States.
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There are 13 other evacuees who remain in the custody of Customs and Border Protection as they await additional screening.
In addition to the 44 who were flagged, two Afghan nationals were transferred to ICE because they had previously been deported after felony convictions, according to the Post. A third, Muhamed Haroon Bahaduri, 25, is facing deportation after being charged with grand larceny by Virginia State Police for an incident at Fort Pickett on Wednesday.
Biden administration officials have touted the multifaceted vetting process for the evacuees who left Afghanistan during the end of August as the U.S. and its allies withdrew their troops while the Taliban came to power.
A senior administration official told reporters Tuesday that any evacuee whose vetting turns up a red flag undergoes additional screening. The official did not directly answer whether any individual has undergone the following checks, and it was determined that he or she should not enter the U.S. when asked directly.
“I think it’s fair to say that for those whose initial vetting and screening led to a sense that more vetting and screening, more work, is appropriate, then that work either has continued and reached a point of satisfaction with entry or is continuing,” the official said.
In addition to those who have been flagged, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that there are more than 100 unaccompanied minors among the evacuees.
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“We are working to ensure that Unaccompanied Afghan Minors (UAM) who are referred to the Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR) for processing, unification, or placement are placed with licensed care providers that are able to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services or unified directly with a vetted sponsor, such as a family member who arrived with the minor,” the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment.
