55 Afghan Refugees Flagged on US Terror Watchlist, 9 Remain Monitored

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General revealed that 55 Afghan refugees evacuated during the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal were flagged on terrorism watchlists either before or during their resettlement in the United States. While 46 of these individuals have since been removed from the watchlist after being deemed no longer a threat, nine remain under federal monitoring as of July 2024. The report has sparked criticism from Republican lawmakers, including Senator Chuck Grassley, who accused the Biden administration of endangering American lives through inadequate vetting processes amid the urgent evacuation from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Despite these concerns, the U.S. State Department confirmed that processing of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan nationals continues uninterrupted, exempt from President Trump's visa suspension affecting multiple countries. The controversy has coincided with violent protests across the U.S. against the administration's immigration policies, leading to emergency measures such as curfews in cities like Los Angeles. The findings underscore ongoing debates over national security and humanitarian commitments in U.S. refugee resettlement programs.