Issa Statement on Negligent Refugee Vetting, DHS Inspector General Report

On September 13, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) released the following statement regarding the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General report detailing the negligent process of releasing Afghan refugees into the United States after the Biden Administration abandoned in-country operations in 2021:

“A year ago, I was denied access by this administration to meet with Afghan refugees processing through Qatar and was appalled by what U.S. officials there revealed to me: most refugees there had few, if any, documents verifying their identity, background, and situation – yet were being rushed through to the United States.

“The recent Inspector General report confirmed that the administration abandoned American citizens in Afghanistan who had blue U.S. passports in hand, while irresponsibly transporting tens of thousands of un-vetted refugees into the U.S. While my staff and I were working tirelessly to help evacuate constituents from Kabul, this administration instead prioritized overloading its evacuation flights with unknown people from one of the world’s most dangerous and unstable places.

“This constitutes a willful refusal by the Biden administration to protect the homeland, and Congress cannot ignore this report. DHS officials must immediately testify before Congress, in detail, regarding how this was allowed to happen, and the national security and public safety implications.”

According to the Inspector General’s report, 659 migrant records were missing either a first or last name; 11,110 records had dates of birth listed as “January 1”; 36,000 were processed with “facilitation documents” that Customs and Border Protection could not define; 7,800 had invalid or missing data; and 1,299 refugees were released into the U.S. without collected fingerprints.

Issa Responds to Marine Corps Decision to Roll Back Biden Vaccine Mandate

“Welcome relief, but doesn’t repair the damage that’s been done”

On September 16, Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-50) issued the following statement following the disclosure that the U.S. Marine Corps is rolling back severe sanctions and punishments for Marines seeking religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine. This includes ending terminations and delays of promotions to higher rank.

“More than a year ago, my office began the fight to stand up for the right of religious accommodation for our service members and against the destructive mistake that is the Biden military COVID-19 vaccine mandate – which is ruining troop morale, negating force readiness, and destroying the lives of our best and bravest.

“While today’s action is welcome relief for the hundreds of Marines fighting for the rights and careers, it is too little and too late for the hundreds of careers of service and lives of honor that are now irreparably damaged by the Biden mandate. The fact that this new regulation was also posted online with no warning or notice only confirms that this Administration knows it can’t defend the indefensible to the American people.

“But nothing ends here. The entirety of the Biden mandate must be repealed immediately,” said Issa.

Rep. Issa is a leading opponent of the Biden mandate, publishing an op-ed in Fox News outlining the full scope of how he led Congressional support of our active-duty military, in addition to the National Guard and Reserve forces. Issa also offered an amendment to floor legislation to prevent funding to be used to enforce the mandate for Guard and Reserve forces.

He also created a portal on his website for service men and women being threatened with discharge from the military. More than 1,000 military personnel have been in contact with Rep. Issa’s office seeking assistance.

Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 50th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon, Temecula, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.