Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) has introduced the Afghan Vetting Accountability (AVA) Act after a September report from the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that they have “failed to properly vet and screen Afghan evacuees coming into the U.S.”
The bill looks to make sure that the threat to national security concerning screening does not arise again.
“President Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan put thousands of Americans at risk and resulted in the inexcusable and unnecessary deaths of 13 American soldiers. Nobody wanted to be in Afghanistan forever, but under Biden’s failed leadership, the United States was humiliated in our exit from the country, allowing a full and immediate takeover by the Taliban. We were ill-prepared to accept tens of thousands of evacuees,” stated Sen. Scott.
Many were critical of President Joe Biden’s (D) handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal which left hundreds of Americans stuck in the hostile country and led to the death of 13 servicemen and women. Also, those left behind included Afghani translators who assisted the United States in their operations in the war-torn nation.
Scott addressed this issue as well.
“We can never allow this to happen again, and must now ensure that every Afghan evacuee who is still on American soil poses no risk to our communities and families. I am grateful to all the Afghans who worked with our military, supported our troops and opposed the Taliban, and I want to ensure their safety. But if we can’t defend our borders and properly vet every person coming onto American soil, then we don’t have a country,” said Scott.
The bill looks to ensure that all evacuees in the U.S. now are screened properly, install periodic vetting processes, and implement systems in which the defense agencies are aware of the location of the evacuees in order for the screening processes to be carried out.
“I hope my colleagues recognize the commonsense nature of my bill and ensure its quick passage,” Sen. Scott concluded.
