We reported here in December about a letter sent by 55 House and Senate Democrats demanding the resettlement in the U.S. of more Afghani evacuees.
This week we learn of another installment in the pols’ letter-writing campaign: this one sent on February 2 and signed by 80 Democrat–and one Republican–members of the House of Representatives. (The Republican was Rep. Brian Mast of Florida.)
The thrust of this letter was essentially the same as the first: keep the pipeline open and the Afghans coming.
To date, at least 66,000 Afghans–maybe more, estimates vary–have been imported as part of “Operation Allies Welcome.” Initially, the announced plan of that operation was to provide Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to Afghan nationals who had worked for or significantly aided U.S. military forces in Afghanistan before the Kabul debacle in August 2021. Those SIV recipients were often assumed to be “interpreters.” When it became clear that 84 percent of SIV claims were being denied and that casting them all as “interpreters” was ludicrous, the Biden government fell back on resettling individuals who were at so-called Priority-1 level (recommended by UN High Commissioner for Refugees ) or Priority-2 (aided a U.S.-funded contractor or NGO or U.S.-based media organization). And, failing that, Biden’s people created a “humanitarian parole category” that would hopefully at last cover everybody.
Apparently not. This week’s letter explicitly calls for Afghans who have been denied humanitarian parole to be admitted anyway. Maybe that will do it.
Meanwhile, one Matiullah Matie, 40, an Afghan “businessman” who, along with his family, had been resettled in Wausau, Wisconsin, was arrested this week for sexual assault on a female volunteer. If convicted, he faces up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. Prior to his arrest, Matie had been the toast of Wausau, having been profiled in the local newspaper, interviewed by the NY Times, and warmly greeted by Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg and Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes.
Joining Matie in the Afghan evacuee Rogue’s Gallery are:
- Mohammed Tariq, 24, convicted of sexually abusing a three-year-old girl at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. Tariq tried to explain through interpreters that his conduct was “acceptable in his culture.”
- Khan Wali Rahmani who allegedly assaulted another evacuee during prayers at a camp in New Jersey on December 14.
- Bahrullah Noori, 20, who was charged with sexual assault on two minor boys in September.
- Mohammad Haroon Imaad, 32, charged with assaulting his wife in September. Both Noori’s and Imaad’s offenses occurred at Fort McCoy, a Wisconsin military base.
- Zabihullah Muhmand, 19, an Afghan evacuee who had been resettled in Montana, charged with raping an 18 year-old girl in a Missoula hotel in October.
- Domestic abusers throughout the evacuee population so numerous the military has had to deploy “gender and protection advisors” to protect wives and family members from violent Afghan males.
The alleged vetting process being used by the Biden government has frequently been called into serious question. Yet, always when one of the incidents like those above occurs, the administration is quick to declare the process sound and complete.
Meanwhile the letter writers keep up their campaign, and places like Butler Township, Pennsylvania, become “dumping grounds” for hundreds of unvetted Afghan evacuees.