WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) sent a letter demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray on the recent arrests of two Afghan nationals in Oklahoma CIty, Oklahoma, who were allegedly plotting an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on Election Day. One of the Afghan nationals was admitted into the interior following the Biden-Harris administration’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Additionally, Chairman Green raised concerns about the ongoing threat that ISIS and its supporters pose to national security, especially amid the Biden-Harris administration’s consistent failure to fully screen and vet inadmissible aliens arriving at or between ports of entry—a threat about which the Committee has warned repeatedly. Read the full letter here. 

Read more from Jon Michael Raasch via the Daily Mail

In the letter, Chairman Green states, “The Committee is seeking information about the recently reported arrests of two Afghan nationals living in Oklahoma City, who allegedly plotted an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack for Election Day. According to the unsealed criminal complaint, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national, entered the United States on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) on September 9, 2021, days after the Biden-Harris administration’s catastrophic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. In addition, Tawhedi reportedly worked with a co-conspirator described as an Afghan national juvenile with legal permanent resident status. The co-conspirator entered the United States on March 27, 2018 on an SIV, according to the complaint. As part of the FBI’s investigation, Tawhedi and the co-conspirator obtained firearms and ammunition to conduct a terrorist attack on American soil on Election Day. Shortly thereafter, they were both arrested.”

Chairman Green continues, “These recent arrests raise serious concerns about the ongoing threat that ISIS and its fanatical supporters pose to U.S. national security, as well as the shortfall in the Biden-Harris administration’s screening and vetting capabilities. On September 6, 2022, the Department’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) published a report stating that the Department encountered obstacles to screen, vet, and inspect all evacuees during the crisis following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The DHS OIG reported that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lacked critical data to properly vet evacuees, but CBP still admitted or paroled evacuees who were not fully vetted into the United States. The Committee also made repeated warnings about these deficiencies, requested documents from the Department through two letters, and subpoenaed Secretary Mayorkas for documents related to the screening and vetting of Afghan evacuees.”

Chairman Green concludes, “The Committee also remains concerned about the threat of a “lone wolf” actor or multiple actors attempting to commit a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. While the Committee commends law enforcement efforts to foil this alleged ISIS-inspired terrorist plot on Election Day, the Committee finds it unacceptable that the Biden-Harris administration is precariously failing to take measures to safeguard U.S. national security by allowing alleged terrorists into the interior of the United States to plot terrorist attacks.”
 
Background:
 
In June 2024, eight Tajikistani nationals with ties to ISIS were arrested in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia after they had illegally crossed into the United States through the Southwest border—at least one of these individuals used the CBP One app to gain entry. Three of the eight reportedly have since been returned to Tajikistan and Russia. 
 
In May 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report indicating that DHS has a fragmented process of vetting and identifying derogatory information about Afghan parolees for Operation Allies Welcome, and no plan in place to remove the roughly 77,000 Afghans paroled into the country as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

In October 2023, Chairman Green served Secretary Mayorkas a subpoena for documents and information on the vetting and screening of Afghan evacuees entering the United States since 2021. This subpoena followed months of failure by Secretary Mayorkas to provide documents and materials satisfactory to the Committee’s initial May 2023 request. 
 
In April 2023, the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, led by Chairman Pfluger, heard firsthand testimony from national security experts on the dangerous consequences to U.S. homeland security from the Biden-Harris administration’s deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. 
 

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