Kristi Noem, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, has announced that strict vetting of Afghan citizens who entered through refugee programs will continue. She emphasized the need to ensure that assessments conducted during the Biden administration were “complete and accurate”.
Speaking to the Senate, Noem noted flaws in previous processes and stated that Afghans currently in the Qatar camp are being evaluated for eligibility. She asserted that only those fully qualifying under the law would be admitted to the US.
Despite concerns from advocacy groups, Noem refused to rule out deportations to Afghanistan. This comes as the US has halted visa issuance for Afghan citizens under Trump’s orders, effectively freezing the Special Immigrant Visa program.
US Homeland Security to Review Afghan Refugee Cases Rigorously
Cloudflare