Members of the Senate Judiciary, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Armed Services committees have requested that the FBI share more information regarding Afghan refugees who have been designated as possible security risks after entering the United States, according to a recent news release.
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Aug. 22, requesting further information on the refugees.
“The American people deserve answers about President Biden’s decision to parole individuals into the country without adequate screening and to understand the FBI’s role in assessing and investigating these security concerns,” the senators' letter stated.
The senators are requesting an in-person briefing and information from Wray about the FBI's activities in regards to these refugees, as well as an account of the reasoning that went into making the classified decisions.
Specifically, they want a follow-up briefing that addresses the FBI's responsibility in further assessing refugees who have been identified as risk, as well as the basis for combining categories of additional info that are typically unclassified with classified data, due to the high level of public interest.
In addition, they recommend that the briefing highlight the measures the FBI are taking to analyze Afghan refugees currently in the process of being allowed into the U.S.
An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DOD) revealed that some evacuees had not been screened using all of the tools and data available to the DOD.
It was later determined that at least 50 evacuees who landed in the U. S. posed significant security concerns.
Additionally, multiple senators' committee staff have reportedly received a confidential briefing that has disclosed new evidence that has prompted even more concern, in addition to the refugees already identified by the National Ground Intelligence Center.
It is unclear, however, if the screening issues have been fixed and what measures the FBI is taking to further examine flagged refugees.
