WASHINGTON – Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., reintroduced legislation Tuesday that would require the Department of Homeland Security to verify biometric and personal information and to conduct in-person vetting interviews for Afghan evacuees brought to the United States after the 2021 military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan Vetting and Accountability Act, first filed by Hawley after the withdrawal and reintroduced Tuesday, would also cut off federal assistance to evacuees who have not completed the mandated vetting and would require DHS to provide Congress with quarterly updates on the process.
The measure arrives amid renewed scrutiny of the resettlement effort after authorities charged an Afghan evacuee with fatally shooting a National Guard member and wounding another in Washington, D.C. Supporters of the bill say tighter screening is needed to protect public safety; critics say additional requirements could delay resettlement and strain federal and local programs.
Background
Hawley first proposed the Afghanistan Vetting and Accountability Act in the weeks after U.S. forces completed the withdrawal in 2021, but the bill did not advance through Congress. The reintroduction comes as lawmakers and the public debate how evacuees were processed under Operation Allies Welcome, the federal program used to resettle Afghan nationals, as covered in our Congress Coverage.
Operation Allies Welcome centered on emergency evacuation, temporary housing, and onward resettlement with the involvement of multiple agencies and nongovernmental partners. Federal officials and resettlement groups performed accelerated security checks, biometric enrollment and initial interviews, while additional background checks and coordination with the Departments of Homeland Security, State and Defense have continued after arrival.
The bill would:
- require DHS to verify biometric and personal information for all Afghan evacuees;
- mandate in-person vetting interviews with evacuees;
- cut federal aid to evacuees who have not undergone the required vetting; and
- require quarterly reports to Congress on vetting progress.
Details From Officials and Records
The legislation was reintroduced about a week after an Afghan evacuee was charged in a Washington, D.C., shooting that left one National Guard member dead and another critically wounded. Court records show the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with multiple counts including first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, according to local reports.
The Justice Department said it would seek the death penalty in the case, officials said. Authorities identified the deceased guard member as Sarah Beckstrom and the critically injured member as Andrew Wolfe, according to court filings and law enforcement statements cited in reporting.
Federal officials also disclosed a separate arrest the same week of another Afghan national, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, who was accused of posting a video indicating he was building an explosive device with an intended target in the Fort Worth area. Officials said Alokozay entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome.
DHS and other federal agencies have previously said that vetting for those evacuated from Afghanistan was carried out under accelerated timelines and that longer-term background checks remain ongoing. The interagency vetting process can include biometric checks, watch list and intelligence database queries, and interviews, but critics say the pace of operations in 2021 constrained the depth of some interviews and follow-up.
Reactions and Next Steps
Hawley said in a statement the bill would “codify into law” what he called earlier vetting steps and protect Americans and service members. He blamed the Biden administration’s handling of the withdrawal and resettlement process for allowing evacuees into the country without adequate screening.
Supporters of stricter vetting argue the proposed law would increase accountability by forcing regular congressional oversight and by linking federal assistance to completion of vetting. They say quarterly reports would give lawmakers clearer information about who has completed checks and where gaps remain.
Opponents warn that additional requirements could delay humanitarian resettlement, create administrative burdens for DHS and resettlement partners, and potentially leave vulnerable evacuees without support. Resettlement agencies and some state and local officials have said that adding in-person interview mandates or cutting aid could hamper placements and increase costs for communities receiving evacuees.
It was not clear how quickly the legislation could advance in the Senate or whether the Biden administration would support the measure. If the bill gains traction in committee, it is likely to prompt hearings and testimony from DHS, the Department of State, resettlement partners and law enforcement on how vetting was conducted and how it could be strengthened without unduly disrupting humanitarian assistance.
Analysis
The reintroduction of this vetting bill highlights competing priorities in immigration and resettlement policy: bolstering public safety and institutional accountability versus maintaining the pace and humanitarian intent of evacuation programs. Requiring biometric verification and in-person interviews would increase oversight and could address gaps critics say emerged after the 2021 withdrawal, but such steps also carry administrative costs and could slow placement for evacuees who rely on federal assistance.
Linking federal aid to completion of vetting raises governance questions about oversight and enforcement, including how DHS would implement expanded checks, how resettlement partners would be funded to handle added duties, and how Congress would monitor compliance through quarterly reporting. The debate is likely to center on tradeoffs between faster resettlement and more rigorous screening, with fiscal and local capacity implications for communities that host evacuees.
For lawmakers, the central policy choices are procedural and practical: define mandatory standards for vetting, provide resources to carry out additional checks without creating backlogs, and ensure transparency so Congress and the public can assess whether the measures improve public safety without undermining humanitarian goals.
