Hoeven, Cramer, urge U.S. to temporarily stop accepting Afghan evacuees
WASHINGTON (KVRR) – North Dakota Republican Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer are among 16 senators who want the Biden administration to stop accepting most Afghan refugees until vetting procedures are changed.
The 16 senators outlined their concerns in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“We are concerned the hastily developed process creates gaps in security and criminal vetting and risks our Nation’s security. We urge that you pause relocating any more Afghan evacuees to the United States, except for fully-vetted Afghans holding Special Immigration Visas, and complete all appropriate vetting procedures at safe locations abroad” the letter says.
“We further ask that you pause resettlement of Afghans already paroled into the United States until the Department of Defense Inspector General verifies that DOD is appropriately managing and tracking evacuees through the biometrics enrollment, screening, and vetting process.”
The senators wrote that a lack of preparation for the evacuees significantly strained the military’s capacity to effectively house, feed, clean, and keep the peace where the evacuees are living.
“The conditions across these military installations are dangerous. Reports of measles outbreaks across Afghan encampments on U.S. military installations are generating significant health risks to all Afghans on-base and the military servicemembers interacting with Afghans.”
“Accounts of older men admitted with young girls claimed as ‘brides,’ coupled with the testimony of Afghan girls alleging rape and forced marriage by older men as a precondition for escaping Afghanistan, must be urgently investigated,” the letter says.
The senators say their request is urgent because 700 Afghans have departed U.S. military bases, avoiding oversight from the Department of Homeland Security.
