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Federal inspectors identified one or more documentation or vetting errors in 40% of asylum applications they reviewed for Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, concluding the deficiencies increased the risk U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could miss information that may have made some applicants ineligible for asylum.
The Sept. 23 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General report reviewed a sample of 678 asylum applications filed by Afghan nationals admitted through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration initiative launched after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Inspectors identified 303 missing aliases, 23 missing security checks and more than 150 additional documentation deficiencies, including two cases involving applicants who may have been inadmissible on terrorism-related grounds.
The findings come as Operation Allies Welcome has faced renewed scrutiny following several high-profile arrests of Afghan nationals admitted under the program.
Digital has previously reported on the arrests of an alleged ISIS-K supporter, an Afghan national charged with making terroristic threats, and another Afghan national admitted under Operation Allies Welcome who was later arrested after being convicted of indecent exposure to a minor.
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Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2021. (AP)
In a press release, DHS argued the report demonstrated the Biden administration “dangerously mismanaged” Operation Allies Welcome, saying a lawsuit settlement that required USCIS to adjudicate 90% of asylum applications within 150 days forced the agency to prioritize speed over more thorough reviews.
The DHS inspector general report, which noted hundreds of aliases had not been recorded for applicants, underscored the importance of accurate record keeping, pointing out one applicant had 124 known aliases. The report said that “missed FBI name checks” accounted for nearly 60% of the absent security checks that the report identified.
The report also flagged two asylum applications involving applicants with potential terrorism-related concerns. In one case, required paperwork documenting the government’s review was missing entirely. In another, supervisors began the approval process but never completed the final step, leaving no clear record that the review had been finished.
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Evacuees wait to board a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 23. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Isaiah Campbell)
Mark Krikorian, executive director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, said the inspector general’s findings reinforce concerns critics have raised since the chaotic Kabul evacuation in 2021.
“The fact that 40% of these applications have errors is alarming,” Krikorian told Digital. “This IG report just underlines how superficial and even frivolous the vetting that we were assured was going on was.”
Krikorian said many evacuees were first flown to temporary processing hubs, sometimes referred to as “lily pads,” in third countries before ultimately being admitted to the United States. While those locations allowed U.S. officials to conduct additional processing, he argued the practical reality was that partner countries were not going to permanently accept the evacuees, leaving the United States effectively committed to resettling them.
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“As soon as that cargo bay door closed, we’re stuck with those people,” Krikorian said, noting how the United States effectively committed itself to resettling evacuees once they boarded evacuation flights during the chaotic Kabul withdrawal.
Krikorian argued the inspector general’s report likely understated the scope of the problem because inspectors could only identify documentation deficiencies visible in the files they reviewed, not determine whether every applicant had been thoroughly vetted.
Afghans hold documents and wait outside Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the chaotic 2021 U.S. evacuation. Many Afghan Christians and allies were among those seeking rescue. (Courtesy: Oklahoma Khorasan Church)
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The inspector general ultimately made five recommendations aimed at strengthening USCIS’ review of Operation Allies Welcome asylum applications, including improving documentation of applicant aliases, ensuring required security checks are properly recorded and enhancing oversight of adjudication files. USCIS agreed with all five recommendations, according to the report.
