Federal inspectors identified one or more documentation or vetting errors in 40% of asylum applications they reviewed for Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome program, concluding the deficiencies increased the risk U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) could miss information that may have made some applicants ineligible for asylum.The Sept.23 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General report reviewed a sample of 678 asylum applications filed by Afghan nationals admitted through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration initiative launched after the U.S.
withdrawal from Afghanistan.Inspectors identified 303 missing aliases, 23 missing security checks and more than 150 additional documentation deficiencies, including two cases involving applicants who may have been inadmissible on terrorism-related grounds.The findings come as Operation Allies Welcome has faced renewed scrutiny following several high-profile arrests of Afghan nationals admitted under the program. Fox News Digital has previously reported on the arrests of an alleged ISIS-K supporter, an Afghan national charged with making terroristic threats, and another Afghan national admitted under Operation Allies Welcome who was later arrested after being convicted of indecent exposure to a minor.FORMER USCIS OFFICIAL, ACCOMPLICE CHARGED IN ALLEGED $960K CITIZENSHIP BRIBERY SCHEMEHundreds of people gather near a U.S.
Air Force C-17 transport plane at a perimeter at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Aug.17, 2021.
(AP)In a press release, DHS argued the report demonstrated the Biden administration "dangerously mismanaged" Operation Allies Welcome, saying a lawsuit settlement that required USCIS to adjudicate 90% of asylum applications within 150 days forced the agency to prioritize speed over more thorough reviews.The DHS inspector general report, which noted hundreds of aliases had not been recor...