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FACT BRIEF

Did nearly 100,000 people in the Afghanistan evacuation come to the US unvetted?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

Following the evacuation of Afghanistan that began in summer 2021, more than 76,000 Afghans came to the U.S. after being vetted, The Wall Street Journal reported.

All evacuees were brought to a military base in Europe or the Middle East, where U.S. officials collected fingerprints and biographical details, and ran them through criminal and terrorism-related databases, the Journal reported.

In reviews, the Defense and Homeland Security departments found that not all evacuees were fully vetted.

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents most of northern Wisconsin, said in an Oct. 16, 2023, interview that in the evacuation, “we had nearly 100,000 people come here to America. None of them were vetted.”

Tiffany made the claim in advocating a bill he introduced Oct. 13 in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The legislation would prohibit anyone with a passport issued by the Palestinian Authority from entering the U.S.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Archive.is Afghan Refugees in the U.S.: How They’re Vetted, Where They’re Going and How to Help
US Department of Defense Evaluation of the Screening of Displaced Persons from Afghanistan
US Department of Homeland Security DHS Encountered Obstacles to Screen, Vet, and Inspect All Evacuees during the Recent Afghanistan Crisis
Rep. Tom Tiffany Rep. Tiffany Joins Fox News to Discuss His Bill to Ban Unvetted Palestinians From Entering the U.S.
US Congress Summary: H.R.5959 — 118th Congress (2023-2024) All Information (Except Text)
New York Times Here’s a timeline of Saturday’s attacks and Israel’s retaliation.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.