The Kabul Tribune (KT) — A former FBI special agent says the vetting of tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees during the Biden administration’s rushed 2021 withdrawal was so weak that it created a “ticking time bomb,” raising renewed concern after two National Guard members were shot near the White House.
Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent, told Fox News Digital
that the chaotic evacuation — carried out as the Taliban seized control of
Afghanistan — became “a free-for-all,” with many Afghans entering the United
States without proper screening.
“They said it is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode
because we’ve just allowed all of these people into our country,” Parker told
Fox News Digital.
According to Parker, FBI agents worked alongside Defense
Department contractors to screen evacuees in foreign host countries, but she
said the State Department repeatedly overrode security concerns, allowing
individuals who were not recommended for entry to still come to the United
States.
The State Department declined to comment to Fox News
Digital.
A 2022 report from the Department of Homeland Security’s
inspector general found that Afghan evacuees were quickly moved through
temporary “lily pad” bases in Germany, Qatar, Spain and Italy. The bases were
understaffed and disorganized, resulting in missing records, documentation gaps
and vetting shortcuts.
Earlier, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said a whistleblower
revealed that 324 evacuees entered the U.S. despite derogatory information,
while another Pentagon inspector general report found at least 50 evacuees
posed potential security concerns, with officials later unable to locate dozens
of them.
Jason Pack, CEO of Media Rep Global Strategies, told Fox
News Digital the evacuation was “a massive humanitarian operation” but
inevitably carried risk.
“More than seventy thousand people were moved into the
country in a short period,” he said, noting incomplete databases and rushed
screening.
Under Operation Allies Welcome, DHS relied heavily on humanitarian
parole, a tool typically used on a case-by-case basis, instead of the lengthier
special immigrant visa or refugee pathways. The inspector general said some
evacuees were admitted without full biographical or biometric data, despite
administration claims of a multilayered screening system.
Parker said many evacuees had no verifiable documents,
making it nearly impossible for U.S. agencies to check intelligence or criminal
databases.
“What happened to our National Guard service members is a
direct result of their lack of vetting,” she said.
The two West Virginia National Guard members remain in
critical condition after being shot a few blocks from the White House.
Authorities say the accused, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the U.S. through
Operation Allies Welcome and had been living in Washington state before driving
across the country.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro
told Fox News Digital that the vetting breakdown was “absurd,” saying Americans
should not have to fear someone admitted through such a flawed process.
FBI Director Kash Patel echoed that criticism, saying
Lakanwal’s presence in the U.S. was solely due to “the disastrous withdrawal”
and the government’s failure to properly vet Afghan evacuees.
Sen. Hawley also revealed an August 2021 email instructing
officials to fill evacuation flights and “err on the side of excess,” allowing
people to board even if their eligibility was unclear.
During a 2021 Senate hearing, Homeland Security Secretary
Alejandro Mayorkas said “well over 99%” of evacuees were vetted before boarding
flights. Under questioning, however, he later admitted he could not guarantee
that all cases met that standard.
When pressed a second time under oath, Mayorkas said: “No.
No, I can’t speak to that.”
