Alejandro Mayorkas Under Fire From Top Senate Republicans for Blowing a Deadline to Submit Afghan Evacuee Report

Some Republican senators slammed Department of Homeland and Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for failing to deliver a report related to the thousands of Afghans flown to the U.S.

According to New York Post, senators Jim Risch, Rob Portman, Charles Grassley, Richard Shelby, James Inhofe, and Shelley Moore Capito publicly accused the Biden administration of blowing a deadline to submit a report to Congress on the vetting of Afghans brought to the U.S. since August.

"The report requested by Congress on the composition and vetting of the more than 78,000 #Afghans evacuated by US forces is more than a month delayed. We need answers, but more than anything, we need @DHSgov to fully cooperate," Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted on Monday.

Republicans Remind Alejandro Mayorkas About Afghans Report

In a December 21 letter to Alejandro Mayorkas but made public on Monday, the Republican senators reminded the DHS secretary about the "statutorily mandated deadline" he was not able to meet. They said the delay was "unacceptable."

"Congress required the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the head of any other applicable Federal agency, to provide a report on the composition and vetting of the more than 78,000 Afghan evacuees by November 30, 2021," the senators noted.

They said the information they are requesting from Mayorkas is necessary for Congress to perform its constitutional oversight duties that "include an understanding of the composition of the Afghan evacuee population located in the United States and any potential national security concerns."

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Responds to Republicans

According to a letter obtained by The Hill, Alejandro Mayorkas responded to each of the senators on December 28 and expressed agreement with their frustration.

Mayorkas told them that he had directed the immediate finalization and submission of the said report to Congress.

Other Republican senators also sought information regarding the records and backgrounds of Afghans that the Biden administration has brought to the U.S. after the U.S. pulled its troops out of Afghanistan five months ago.

GOP senators Ron Johnson, Josh Hawley, and Rick Scott also wrote a letter to Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on December 17 to inquire about information related to the Afghan evacuees.

In the joint letter, the three senators requested information about how the agencies are "vetting/screening these individuals." The senators wanted this information to be made available to them by December 30.

However, Johnson's office told Breitbart that they have yet to receive a response from the Biden administration as of Monday.

A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that around 76,000 Afghan nationals have arrived in the U.S. as of January 4. The spokesperson noted that of this number, 53,000 Afghans have joined communities across the U.S., while around 22,000 remain in one of five U.S. military "safe havens."

"All Afghans were vetted prior to arrival and underwent additional screening at the Port of Entry," the spokesperson said, adding that the Afghan evacuees were also required to "receive critical vaccinations as a condition of their humanitarian parole."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

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