Durbin Questions Witnesses During Joint Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Vetting Afghan Nationals

Durbin Questions Witnesses During Joint Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing On Vetting Afghan Nationals

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned Department of State, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Department of Defense (DOD) officials during a Senate Judiciary Joint Subcommittee hearing entitled "Biden's Afghan Parolee Program - A Trojan Horse with Flawed Vetting and Deadly Consequences." The hearing was scheduled in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy on November 26, when a gunman killed two National Guard members in Washington, DC.

Durbin first asked the government witnesses if they were involved in shaping the current policy regarding visa applications for Afghan nationals.

"Did any of you make the recommendation for the policy we currently have which stops the processing of all immigrant and visa applications for individuals with Afghan passports?" Durbin asked.

Arne B. Baker, the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Inspector General at the State Department responded, "Our position as Inspectors General, we do not make policy decisions, the agency does."

The other witnesses, Craig Adelman, the Deputy Inspector General, Office of Audits, at DHS, and Michael J. Roark, the Deputy Inspector General of Evaluations Component at DOD agreed with Mr. Baker.

Durbin then asked about the vetting process for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan refugee who shot the two National Guard members in November. Mr. Lakanwal had a pending Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) application and in December 2024 applied to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for asylum, which he was granted in April 2025 under the Trump Administration.

"We had a period of time in the SCIF with classified and secret information trying to get to the bottom of this. It is a serious, serious situation involving the loss of life and serious injury and we are trying to figure out what went wrong. The thing that kept occurring to me was the fact that the shooter [in the National Guard shooting] had been identified as a person with serious problems," said Durbin.

"For all three of you, this man accused in the tragic shooting of two National Guard members, we have not seen any indication there was a failure in actual vetting. Instead, there was a failure to respond to urgent requests made by his family members about [his] deteriorating mental health. Isn't this a real gap in the process that you go through and check the boxes… and miss the obvious problem that could have led to saving the life of this National Guardsman and the one who is injured?" Durbin asked.

Mr. Adelman responded that, "Overall I would say that the interview that's being conducted when someone applies for benefits would be an opportunity to get to know the person and see if there are any challenges there."

Durbin responded, "But these are over a period of time… In this situation, we understand the shooter was deteriorating and he was showing bizarre conduct, driving all over the United States, making statements that worried even his family. How can we miss something like that? That seems to me to be getting to the heart of whether this person is safe to be in this country or safer in others."

Mr. Adelman responded that his office had identified challenges with information sharing and disagreements between DHS entities as to when to refer parolees for enforcement action.

"I might say we are talking about an agency which has diverted massive resources now to a totally unrelated undertaking involving the cities of Chicago and Minneapolis and other places. Mr. Baker, what is your impression when you consider this gap and asking the very basic questions of 'what is wrong with this man?' Durbin asked.

Mr. Baker responded that the State Department was responsible for the first 90 days of the Afghan nationals' resettlement activities. He also noted that the State Department did find significant challenges with mental health support and screening in part because the evacuation occurred during COVID. He also noted that the State Department's role was only for 90 days, and then they were transferred to DHS.

Durbin concluded, "But have we learned anything from this horrible experience, this tragedy? There is a lot of finger pointing that goes on [on] Capitol Hill by both political parties. Is this Joe Biden's fault? Is this Donald Trump's fault? Wouldn't it be better for us to take a lesson from this as to how we can improve this process in the future rather than just shutting down any access of asylees into the United States from 39 different countries? I would like to see us do something positive and bipartisan and make this a safer system."

Video of Durbin's questions in Committee is available here.

Audio of Durbin's questions in Committee is available here.

Footage of Durbin's questions in Committee is available here for TV Stations.

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