Over a dozen GOP senators call for halt to Afghan resettlement over security concerns

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GOP senators call for halt to Afghan resettlement over security concerns

By Samuel Chamberlain
October 4, 2021 9:20pm

A group of Republican senators is asking the Biden administration to "pause" the relocation of certain Afghan refugees to military bases. Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/POOL/AFP

More than a dozen Republican senators asked the Biden administration Monday to “pause” the relocation of Afghan refugees to US military bases, except for those who have been fully vetted and hold Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) — documentation granted to those who assisted US-led NATO forces during the two-decade war against the Taliban.

The letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also called for the vetting of refugees to take place at “safe locations abroad” and for the resettlement of Afghans in the US to be halted until the Pentagon’s inspector general is sure “that DOD is appropriately managing and tracking evacuees”.

“The Biden Administration’s security vetting procedures to clear Afghans entering the country remain unclear and incomplete, and, unless changed, are insufficient to preserve the safety of the American homeland,” said the letter, which was led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
Thousands of Afghans have been brought to the US since the war-torn country was overrun by the Taliban in mid-August. Jack Markell, the White House coordinator of Operation Allies Welcome — the administration’s resettlement initiative — said last month that more than 50,000 Afghans are being housed at eight military installations around the US, with another 12,000 due to arrive soon from American bases in Europe.

nypost.com/2021/10/04/gop-senators-call-for-halt-to-afghan-resettlement-over-security-concerns/


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