2026-10-01 · contested story

biden admin failed to vet thousands of afghan refugees amid withdrawal

In September 2026, a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report found a 40% error rate in a sample of 678 Afghan asylum applications filed under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome program, which resettled roughly 76,000-97,000 Afghans after the chaotic 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The report identified 303 missed aliases, 23 missing security checks, and more than 150 additional documentation deficiencies, including two cases involving applicants potentially inadmissible on terrorism-related grounds. The findings resurfaced older concerns about vetting dating back to 2021-2023 and intensified following the November 2025 shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, by an Afghan national admitted under the program. This reignited a long-running debate over national security versus humanitarian obligations to Afghan allies.

How each side frames it

left
"decisions by President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw troops had "serious consequences for the viability" and security of the former US-backed government"
"there are certainly thousands more who have requested one but were unable to come to the US sooner due to other factors including financial barriers, limited flight availabilities and processing delays"
"The Afghan man, who is in his early twenties, was granted protection against deportation to Afghanistan by a U.S. judge due to fears of persecution by the Taliban"
"at the end of the day I can't help but come to the conclusion that they just didn't want to deal with this issue and put up every roadblock possible"
"The fundamental mistake, the fundamental flaw was the timing of the State Department. That was too slow and too late."
center
"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"
"USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow said in a letter to DHS OIG that the draft report failed to consider that instances of missing aliases or improper security checks were taking place amid "broader, established, and robust screening, vetting, and security checks safeguards already in place""
"a settlement was reached that "forced USCIS to adjudicate 90% of the program's asylum applications within 150 days," the Trump administration DHS said"
"Immigration lawyers say the practice is being used as a legal loophole to indirectly return some asylum seekers to countries they fled"
"The OIG analyzed a statistical sample of 768 applications from 13,682 adjudicated applications from the OAW population"
right
"Biden's Afghan vetting disaster exposed as bombshell audit finds 40% of files riddled with errors and terror red flags missed"
"The Biden administration's Afghan refugee program was so flawed that it potentially allowed an untold number of terrorists and dangerous criminals into the country"
"The failure of DHS to properly vet or screen all Afghan nationals during the evacuation has put the U.S. homeland and our security interests at great risk."
"This IG report just underlines how superficial and even frivolous the vetting that we were assured was going on was."
"Contrary to popular narratives, most Afghans admitted during and after the evacuation had nothing to do with the U.S. government or any of its contractors. They were not U.S. "allies," nor were they "persecuted" individuals in need of refugee resettlement."

What each side left out

The right left out — covered by the The Center Square & CNN & The Epoch Times
The right left out — covered by the The Guardian US & National Review (comments) & NPR
The left left out — covered by the Fox News & The Epoch Times & New York Post
The left left out — covered by the Washington Free Beacon & New York Post
The center left out — covered by the The Dispatch & KabulNow
The center left out — covered by the KabulNow

What's actually true?

[verified] A DHS OIG report found a 40% error rate in a sample of 678 Afghan asylum applications under Operation Allies Welcome, including 303 missing aliases, 23 missing security checks, and over 150 other documentation issues.
[verified] The OIG identified two cases involving applicants potentially inadmissible on terrorism-related grounds.
[verified] A September 2023 settlement (Ahmed v. DHS) forced USCIS to adjudicate 90% of OAW asylum applications within 150 days, which critics say rushed the process.
[verified] Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members in DC in November 2025, had entered the US under Operation Allies Welcome and was approved for asylum in April.
[verified] A 2022 DHS IG audit found CBP 'did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the evacuees' and that some vetting information was inaccurate, incomplete, or missing.
[contested] Biden's August 16, 2021 directive instructed evacuation flights to be filled to excess, stating 'Total inflow to the U.S. must exceed the number of seats available. Err on the side of excess.'
[verified] Retired Generals Milley and McKenzie testified that the State Department's timing of the evacuation decision (not until August 14) was the fundamental flaw in the chaotic withdrawal.
[verified] A 2023 State Department After Action Report found the withdrawal decisions by both Trump and Biden had serious consequences and that during both administrations there was insufficient consideration of worst-case scenarios.

The narrative clash

Whether the Afghan evacuees were genuine U.S. allies or not
Left: roughly 76,000 Afghans were evacuated and brought to the US after the chaotic withdrawal – including many who had worked alongside American troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators
Right: most Afghans admitted during and after the evacuation had nothing to do with the U.S. government or any of its contractors. They were not U.S. "allies," nor were they "persecuted" individuals in need of refugee resettlement.
Who was primarily responsible for the chaotic withdrawal
Left: decisions by President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw troops had "serious consequences"... "during both administrations there was insufficient senior-level consideration of worst-case scenarios"
Right: President Biden's insistence on withdrawing entirely from Afghanistan no matter the cost — despite repeated warnings from the military and NATO allies — exposed American personnel to security threats
Adequacy of the Biden-era vetting process
Left: it is our policy to vet um 100% of the individuals in those transit countries before they board a flight for the United States (Mayorkas testimony)
Right: DHS officers "did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the evacuees"
Cause of the slow early evacuation
Left: some of the Afghans did not want to leave earlier. Still hopeful for their country (Biden's claim)
Right: thousands of SIV holders and applicants were left behind in Afghanistan despite 78,000 Afghans making it out... the majority of those who were evacuated were neither American citizens, green card holders or Afghan special immigrant visa holders

34 sources analyzed

Washington Free Beacon The Center Square The Damage Report PBS NewsHour New York Post NBC News American Greatness Business Insider The Washington Post CNN KTEN 10 The Guardian US Charlie Kirk The Heritage Foundation wfmd.com The Dispatch Fox News KabulNow National Review ashepostandtimes.com thepostmillennial.com The National Desk The Indiana Gazette dailypostathenian.com The Epoch Times Al Jazeera postguam.com NPR voz.us Morning Star | The People’s Daily India Today NPR Illinois dw.com WHAS11

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

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