A coming effort to resettle thousands of Afghan refugees across the United States has already begun to divide Republicans, who nonetheless remain steadfastly unified in their criticism of the evacuation effort that made the resettlement possible.
Some GOP lawmakers have raised concerns about how much the Biden administration will vet the Afghans it plans to bring to the U.S. for a virtually unprecedented resettlement effort — while others have embraced the idea of welcoming Afghans who assisted U.S. forces on the grounds that failing to do so would dissuade civilians in other countries from helping the American military in the future.
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The rift is likely to exacerbate existing tensions within the party over how to approach immigration policy more broadly.
“It is a national security issue, and when I see that, previously, there was a 14-step process that had been established that took anywhere from 18 to 24 months in order to clear these individuals, I don’t see how in the world we can take well over 100,000 people now, and all of a sudden wave a magic wand and condense that vetting period and process into a couple of weeks’ time,” Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Montana Republican, told the Washington Examiner.
“Even through that vetting process, you need to keep in mind that they are not screening these people for ideological flags,” Rosendale added.
U.S. and coalition forces evacuated more than 110,000 people from Kabul, the “very significant majority” of whom are Afghans, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
Blinken said the number of Afghan refugees seeking a Special Immigrant Visa to come to the U.S. is “very, very fluid,” although many have already started arriving at military installations across the country.
The Special Immigrant Visa program for Afghans typically requires 14 steps and involves document requests, an in-person interview, and a medical exam. While the process can often take more than a year, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week invoked what’s known as parole authority to allow Afghans with pending applications to come to the U.S. before they’re fully screened.
President Joe Biden tapped the Department of Homeland Security on Sunday to coordinate the resettlement effort.
The surge of Afghans looking to obtain a Special Immigrant Visa is likely to put enormous strain on a program that was designed to proceed slowly.
From July to September of last year, for example, the State Department issued just 283 of the visas to Afghans.
Now, tens of thousands of Afghans are flooding the system with applications and will likely be resettled in the U.S. while they await their approval or denial.
Beyond concerns about vetting, some Republicans have raised concerns about how large numbers of Afghan refugees will assimilate into the communities where they are placed.
“It is a reality that many of these individuals have a very different viewpoint about not only what it means to be an American, but dignity for women and children and life,” Russ Vought, president of the Center for Renewing America and former Trump Cabinet member, told the Washington Examiner.
Vought cited Pew Research Center data from 2017 that showed 39% of Afghan Muslims said suicide bombings are “at least sometimes justified” and that an overwhelming majority, 99%, support implementing Sharia, a strict Islamic legal code.
Some GOP lawmakers and aides have expressed concern about the effect large numbers of Afghan refugees could have on their states, as well as the strain they could place on benefits programs.
But others have joined Democratic leaders in embracing the idea of resettling Afghan refugees on their home turf.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has signaled he is open to welcoming Afghans to his state — a position that drew the ire of a fellow Georgia Republican, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who questioned how much the resettlement would cost taxpayers and whether the refugees would “bring chain migration.”
South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said earlier this month that “it is our duty” to accept the refugees, who he said would be welcome in his state.
Many Afghan refugees are currently destined for Fort Bliss in Texas. Sen. John Cornyn said earlier this month that up to 10,000 Afghans could arrive at the El Paso base, which is already housing thousands of unaccompanied minors who crossed the border.
A congressional aide told the Washington Examiner at least seven military bases are currently set to host refugees, including three in Virginia, where they will wait while DHS processes them for resettlement elsewhere in the U.S.
Refugees are expected to be resettled throughout the country, and aid groups are bracing for the task of helping Afghan families get set up in unfamiliar communities.
Republicans in Congress are likely to take action related to the resettlement process as Afghans begin moving off of bases and into cities.
Rosendale said he is working on legislation “to make sure that that vetting process is conducted properly” and that no shortcuts are taken to approve Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans more quickly than usual.
He and other Republicans have advocated for the Afghan refugees that the U.S. evacuated to be resettled primarily in neighboring countries rather than be brought to the U.S.
Vought said lawmakers could bring up the issue during the fight on Capitol Hill over funding the government.
“They can use the upcoming funding process, through the appropriations, to use that as a leverage point to put in a rider that either turns off funding for refugee resettlement that’s not regionally based without clear vetting standards,” Vought said, adding that lawmakers could also “change the ability of DHS to use its parole authority.”
Vought also said Congress could provide “more ability for governors to have a say as to whether they want refugee resettlement” in their states — a decision he says the federal government presently has broad powers to make.
Despite the political controversy over how and whether to resettle Afghan refugees in the U.S., the idea of welcoming them is broadly popular with the public.
A CBS/YouGov poll conducted earlier this month found 81% of people supported bringing evacuated Afghans to the U.S. — including 76% of Republicans.
Many people are lining up to help the refugees as well.
Merritt Groeschel, founder and executive director of Solutions in Hometown Communities, a Maryland-based group that helps with refugee resettlement, said refugee groups such as hers have been flooded with donations and interest in assisting. She said some refugee groups have received so many donations of food, furniture, and other items that they are running out of storage space.
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“Without a doubt, I would say there’s been an outpouring of support, like amazing support, from the community,” Groeschel told the Washington Examiner. “Many people want to volunteer. People are donating things and money to organizations that are helping refugees.”
Groeschel said that due to the influx of material donations and volunteers to groups such as hers, people who want to help may be most effective donating money that the organizations can use to help refugees navigate the visa approval process.
