DHS Report: 40% of Afghan Asylum Files Had Vetting Errors
DHS Inspector General finds 40% of Afghan asylum files had errors, raising concerns over vetting processes.
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In a recent report, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General, Joseph Cuffari, revealed that 40% of asylum applications from Afghan migrants resettled under President Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) contained vetting errors. The findings highlight significant flaws in the vetting process for thousands of Afghan evacuees brought to the United States in 2021.
Mass Resettlement and Vetting Concerns
In 2021, as part of the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, OAW was launched to resettle approximately 75,000 Afghans within months. However, many of these individuals were not interviewed in-person before being granted asylum. The Inspector General’s report, dated September 23, 2026, analyzed a statistical sample of 678 applications from 13,682 adjudicated cases and found numerous errors.
The report identified 303 missed aliases, 23 missing security checks, 45 unresolved records, and 115 other documentation issues. Most errors stemmed from missed aliases or incomplete documentation, including two cases potentially linked to terrorism-related inadmissibility. Some issues arose from Asylum Officers failing to recognize name variations or properly document information in the A-file, which is crucial for immigration enforcement.
Security Risks and Ongoing Concerns
The report underscores the potential risks to national security, as the vetting process may have failed to link names provided by applicants to derogatory information. This could compromise the integrity of immigration records, which are relied upon by enforcement agencies. The findings are part of a broader pattern of concerns about the Biden administration’s handling of Afghan resettlement.
Recent cases have raised alarms about the presence of individuals with ties to terrorism. In 2023, a 27-year-old Afghan man arrested in Oklahoma was linked to an alleged plot to carry out an Election Day terrorist attack. Additionally, a former DOD official revealed that some unvetted Afghans had been involved in placing IEDs in Afghanistan, killing American troops.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) had previously requested information on Afghans listed on the No Fly List due to terrorism ties, but Biden’s officials refused to disclose the total. In 2022, a DHS IG report highlighted the importation of unvetted Afghans, with about 50 flagged for significant security concerns. Most of these individuals have since disappeared into American communities, with only three of 31 flagged individuals located by September 2021.
Whistleblower Claims and Ongoing Investigations
In August 2022, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) detailed allegations from a whistleblower who claimed the Biden administration knowingly resettled nearly 400 Afghans listed as potential threats in federal databases. The report also noted that some individuals were on the federal government’s Terrorism Watch List, raising further concerns about the vetting process.
Source: Breitbart
