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Up to 100 Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan and seeking to resettle in the United States have been “flagged” by Defense Department terrorism watch lists, according to a new report.
As President Joe Biden’s administration looks to fast-track tens of thousands of Afghans into the U.S. interior over the next few weeks, Defense Department officials are reportedly sounding the alarm over the potential for fraud.
An official, involved with the vetting and screening process taking place in third safe countries for Afghans seeking resettlement in the U.S., told Defense One that “up to 100 of the 7,000 Afghans evacuated as prospective recipients” of
Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs have been “flagged” as “potential matches to intelligence agency watch lists.”
Another official said that in “most cases” the Afghans were “cleared by follow-on screening” for resettlement in the U.S.
Defense One reports:
Moreover, the Defense Department’s Automated Biometric Identification System has flagged up to 100 of the 7,000 Afghans evacuated as prospective recipients of Special Immigration Visas as potential matches to intelligence agency watch lists, a second official said. [Emphasis added]
…
“There’s certainly been a number of them” who triggered alerts, requiring agents to pull those evacuees aside for further screening, the first official said. In most cases, those Afghans — many of whom have already been vetted through the special immigrant visa process — were cleared by follow-on screening. [Emphasis added]