(CNS News) -- When asked if she was confident that Afghan refugees did not pose a threat to the United States, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) said, “I am not confident of that.”
At the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, CNS News asked the senator, “Are you confident the Biden administration has successfully identified and vetted all the Afghans they brought into the country, and that none are a threat?”
Lummis responded, “I am not confident of that. In fact, we know that there are people who arrived in Germany from Afghanistan without identification. In fact, some of whom were vetted after arriving in Germany and they are not people we would clear.”
“So, there are concerns that people have left Afghanistan with our assistance that we’re going to have to take back,” said the senator.
According to the U.S. State Department, about 24,000 Afghans have been evacuated to the United States, and most of those are being housed on military bases. Another 23,000 Afghans are at U.S. bases in Europe, and 20,000 more Afghans are in Asia.
It is expected that at least 50,000 Afghans will be processed into the United States over the coming months, according to the Wall Street Journal, "but it may take weeks or months for them to arrive as they undergo security screenings."
In a Sept. 3 statement, House Rep. Chris Smith (r-N.J.) said, "In welcoming Afghan evacuees to the U.S. — and out of abundance of respect and concern for all Americans as well as genuine refugees — it remains absolutely essential that comprehensive and effective vetting occurs to ensure that no terrorist surreptitiously slips into any American community."