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| Senior Airman Taylor Slater/U.S. Air Force via AP |
The State Department proclaimed Thursday that refugees who have recently arrived in the US from Afghanistan are subject to a “rigorous” security check, but declined to say what happens to those who fail to pass muster — while more than two dozen Republican senators raised concerns that Afghans with criminal or terrorist pasts were flown out of the war-torn country in recent days.
“Before anyone who is evacuated from Afghanistan comes to this country, they undergo a rigorous vet from counterterrorism professionals, Homeland Security professionals, law enforcement professionals, with the aid and assistance of our Intelligence Community,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during his regular briefing. “Unless and until they complete that vet, they will not be in a position to come to the United States.”
Price added that the State Department has “adequate facilities for individuals who are not yet in a position to come to the United States while they undergo that vetting process” and was “doing everything we can to expedite the vetting process.”
“In many cases we are able to move people from a transit point in the Middle East, to one in Europe, to the United States in a matter of days,” Price went on. “In some cases, the vetting process may take longer. We do have adequate solutions for those cases that are going to be handled on a case-by-case basis.” --->READ MORE HERE
Only one of the 38,000 people flown out of Afghanistan and on to U.S. bases in Europe over the past three weeks has failed the national security screening process, according to a top Air Force official.
Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters told reporters on Thursday that one Afghan evacuee was denied the ability to continue onward to the United States after being flagged in an initial review and failing a second screening. The person is not considered a “high threat,” but Wolters did not disclose why he was denied admission.
“That individual is currently in the appropriate custody with U.S. interagency officials,” Wolters said . “We are still working his background investigation.”
The tens of thousands of Afghans flown out of the country over the past month have been taken to the Middle East and Europe, where they are being screened before going on to the U.S. The U.S. European Command spans across Germany, Italy, and Spain. Fifty-eight others initially failed their first screening but were cleared in a follow-up interview.
The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for verifying each person’s identity and running background checks to ensure someone on the terror watch list or other list is not admitted. DHS officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection are screening approximately 250 people per hour, according to Wolters. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
Republican Senators Demand Answers from Biden on Afghanistan Refugee Vetting Process
Afghan refugees at Wisconsin Army base lack complete vetting but can leave any time, House member says
DHS confirms people on watch lists among those evacuated from Afghanistan
House Freedom Caucus chair demands answers on Afghan vetting
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