A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general revealed that there were vetting errors in 40% of asylum applications from Afghan migrants who came to the U.S. after the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. This information was shared on Monday.
Upon reviewing a sample of 678 asylum applications processed under the Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) initiative, the DHS discovered numerous issues, including 303 missing aliases, 23 absent security checks, and over 150 other documentation problems.
The report indicates that these types of errors may have led U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to overlook possible connections between applicants’ names and derogatory information. This oversight poses a risk to the integrity of the alien registration files, which are crucial for immigration enforcement and administration.
Additionally, there were troubling cases where missing aliases and incomplete paperwork pertained to individuals who might have been ineligible for entry into the U.S. due to concerns related to terrorism. In one scenario, required documentation for an Afghan individual deemed potentially inadmissible was not submitted, preventing a higher authority from approving the application. In another case, while the additional paperwork was submitted and endorsed by superiors, a crucial approval box was left unchecked.
The report pointed out that the fallout from these documentation errors could range from minor inconveniences, as some information might be retrievable from other sources, to serious national security threats if the files weren’t reviewed adequately by USCIS management.
This investigation was prompted by concerns from USCIS employees about a 2023 settlement stemming from the Ahmed v. DHS case, which forced them to expedite processing asylum claims at the expense of thorough vetting.
Interestingly, the report noted that there wasn’t a significant increase in error rates following the September 2023 DHS settlement.
Republican lawmakers have consistently raised alarms over the Operation Allies Welcome program, which facilitated the resettlement of over 70,000 Afghan nationals in the aftermath of the 2021 troop withdrawal. Last November, it was reported that more than 5,000 individuals brought to the U.S. through this program were identified due to “national security” concerns.
Moreover, an Afghan resettled through this initiative was involved in a shooting incident, resulting in the death of one National Guard soldier and serious injuries to another, near the White House.
In response to the inspector general’s findings, Joseph Edlow, the USCIS director, expressed agreement with all five recommendations made by the DHS IG. However, he implied that the report didn’t fully account for the established security measures already in place that mitigate the effects of such errors.
Edlow asserted that USCIS’s screening and vetting procedures are well-defined and effective, emphasizing that they adhere to stringent safeguards designed to ensure thorough evaluations of applicants.
