Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of a report on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) participation in the handling of Afghan evacuees during Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome. These interagency operations facilitated the entry of tens of thousands of Afghans into the United States through a broad range of services, such as immigration processing and resettlement support. The FBI played a critical support role in the screening and vetting of the tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees being resettled in the United States to ensure these individuals did not pose a national security risk.
The DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that each of the responsible elements of the FBI assigned to support the evacuations under Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome executed their respective roles in accordance with applicable guidance. Further, when potential threats to national security were identified related to certain evacuees, we found that the FBI used its investigative authorities to mitigate those potential threats.