DHS Report Reveals 40% Vetting Failure Rate in Afghan Asylum Applications

<p>Federal inspectors found documentation or vetting errors in 40% of asylum applications reviewed for Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome program, indicating that these deficiencies could lead to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) missing critical information that may render some applicants ineligible for asylum.</p><p>The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General released a report on September 23, which examined a sample of 678 asylum applications filed by Afghan nationals through Operation Allies Welcome, initiated after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The report identified 303 missing aliases, 23 missing security checks, and over 150 additional documentation deficiencies, including two cases where applicants may have been inadmissible due to terrorism-related grounds.</p><p>These findings follow increased scrutiny of Operation Allies Welcome, particularly after several high-profile arrests of Afghan nationals admitted under the program. Reports have highlighted arrests of individuals, including an alleged ISIS-K supporter and an Afghan national charged with making terroristic threats.</p><p>In a press release, DHS stated that the report illustrated how the Biden administration mismanaged Operation Allies Welcome, claiming that a lawsuit settlement requiring USCIS to adjudicate 90% of asylum applications within 150 days led to a focus on speed over thorough reviews.</p><p>The inspector general's report emphasized the importance of accurate record-keeping, noting that one applicant had 124 known aliases. It also pointed out that missed FBI name checks accounted for nearly 60% of the absent security checks identified in the report.</p><p>Additionally, the report flagged two asylum applications involving potential terrorism-related concerns, with one case missing required documentation entirely and another where the approval process was started but not completed, leaving no clear record of the review.</p><p>Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, commented that the inspector general's findings reinforce concerns raised since the chaotic Kabul evacuation in 2021. He described the 40% error rate as alarming and suggested that the report highlights the superficial nature of the vetting process.</p><p>Krikorian noted that many evacuees were initially flown to temporary processing hubs in third countries before being admitted to the U.S., but argued that these countries were unlikely to accept the evacuees permanently, effectively committing the U.S. to resettle them.</p><p>He also stated that the inspector general's report likely underestimated the extent of the problem, as inspectors could only identify visible documentation deficiencies and could not assess the thoroughness of the vetting for every applicant.</p><p>The inspector general made five recommendations to strengthen USCIS' review of Operation Allies Welcome asylum applications, including improving documentation of applicant aliases, ensuring proper recording of required security checks, and enhancing oversight of adjudication files. USCIS agreed with all five recommendations, according to the report.</p>