GOP senators press Rubio to tighten Afghan vetting
Several Senate Republicans sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging an overhaul of vetting for Afghan evacuees after the late‑November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The lawmakers cite Department of War inspector general findings of vetting gaps under Operation Allies Refuge/Welcome and demand the administration identify evacuees with significant security concerns and seek their removal, referencing the charges against suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
📌 Key Facts
- Signatories include Sens. Tom Cotton, Susan Collins, James Risch, James Lankford, John Cornyn, Ted Budd, Mike Rounds, and Todd Young
- Letter cites DoW IG findings: at least 50 evacuees with 'potentially significant security concerns' and ~31,000 admitted before a DHS vetting task force
- Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal is charged with murder and assault; Spc. Sarah Beckstrom was killed and SSgt. Andrew Wolfe wounded
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately 90,000 Afghan evacuees entered the United States from the beginning of the evacuation through March 2022 under Operation Allies Welcome and related programs.
Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Participation in the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Allies Welcome — Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice
Over 1,300 vetting submissions for Afghan evacuees resulted in a match to derogatory information during the vetting processes for Operation Allies Welcome.
Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Participation in the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Allies Welcome — Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice
Between September 2022 and June 2023, there were 248 criminal notifications related to Afghan parolees from fingerprint records ingested into the Next Generation Identification system.
Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Participation in the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Allies Welcome — Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice
55 Afghan evacuees were positively matched to the terrorist watchlist between July 2021 and May 2023.
Audit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Participation in the Department of Homeland Security's Operation Allies Welcome — Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice
In 2022, Afghan immigrant households had a median income of $48,000, compared to $75,000 for all immigrant households and U.S.-born households; Afghan immigrants represent about 0.4 percent of the total U.S. immigrant population of 46.2 million.
Afghan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
In 2022, 28 percent of Afghan immigrants ages 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 35 percent of all immigrants and 36 percent of the U.S. born; 29 percent had less than a high school diploma, compared to 25 percent of all immigrants.
Afghan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute