Two questions about Afghan refugees

But then there is the second question: Who did we bring out? Recently the Washington Examiner’s Tori Richards reported that a Republican congressman from Wisconsin, Rep. Tom Tiffany, toured the Fort McCoy army base in western Wisconsin, where at least 3,000 Afghan refugees have been brought so far. “The refugees at the base have no visas and haven’t undergone the standard vetting process,” Richards reported.

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“Does this mean they have ties to the Taliban, ISIS, or al Qaeda?” Tiffany asked. “Do they have ties to terror organizations yet [the State Department] just says we are fully vetting them? I am concerned that they don’t have the information on background to make sure they are fully vetted.”

The questions go beyond potential terrorism ties. A more basic question is whether those evacuated from Afghanistan actually helped the U.S. in the 20-year war. The U.S. priority list was always citizens first, followed by those who assisted American forces during the war. Other Afghans who did not aid the U.S., even if they have a legitimate fear of Taliban rule, are not near the top of the list.

The most important point is that, given the frenzied evacuation, U.S. officials do not really know whom they have airlifted out of Afghanistan.

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