[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 214 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8916-S8917]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            AFGHAN REFUGEES

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, I rise to address the situation facing 
refugees from Afghanistan who were resettled in Vermont and who, like 
Afghan refugees in other States, the Trump administration is now 
threatening to deport.
  Vermont is home to more than 650 Afghans who risked their lives to 
support the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. They have been welcomed by our 
communities. They are growing our workforce and tax base and 
contributing to our economy. A statewide nonprofit in Vermont, the 
Vermont Afghan Alliance, which is largely led by Afghans, helps reunite 
these Afghans with their families and assists other Afghan refugees 
when they arrive. They are one of several groups in Vermont doing 
incredible work to resettle Afghans. These individuals risked their 
lives for our government, and they did everything we asked of them. And 
now, they have become valued members of our communities.
  The U.S. withdrawal in 2021 was chaotic, but the Afghans who fled did 
so because of a very real fear of persecution. No one can question 
that. Afghans who had worked with the U.S. military and intelligence 
community were taken to the airport in Kabul to help secure it before 
being allowed on a plane. They were told to leave their wives and 
children behind, assured that their families would come later. They 
feared for their lives. These individuals

[[Page S8917]]

had been subjected to rigorous vetting at the time of employment with 
the U.S. military or intelligence community, and many were vetted again 
in a third country by an interagency vetting process before coming to 
the United States.
  Once in the United States, they were vetted again when applying for 
an immigration benefit. They were vetted yet again when interviewed by 
a USCIS officer in the U.S., and in adjusting immigration status. So 
our Afghan allies are some of the most thoroughly vetted members of our 
immigrant community. In fact, they may be the most extensively vetted 
foreign population in U.S. history.
  The vetting is exhaustive, it has spanned years, conducted by 
multiple Agencies and administrations. It has included turning over 
cell phones to the FBI, providing every address resided at since birth, 
notification of every biometric exam taken in their lifetimes, and 
detailed information about the occupations and addresses of family and 
extended family members.
  But as extensive as the vetting was and is, we know that no vetting 
process is 100 percent foolproof. No one can predict with absolute 
certainty that a person--regardless of nationality--who is cleared 
today won't commit a crime years later.
  The horrific, targeted shooting of two members of the West Virginia 
National Guard on November 26--by an Afghan refugee who was reportedly 
trained by the CIA--was a terrible crime for which the person 
responsible should and will be brought to justice.
  President Trump's use of that tragedy to go after a minority 
community has become a hallmark of this administration's hostile 
attitude toward immigrants and refugees. Even though it was the Trump 
administration that vetted the accused most recently prior to granting 
him asylum, President Trump has called for re-vetting all refugees who 
arrived under President Biden. This includes people from Afghanistan 
and 18 other countries, some of whom also reside in Vermont. The 
President has halted resettlement, paused all asylum applications, and 
called for the removal of anyone deemed a risk.
  The fact that an Afghan has been charged with this heinous crime is 
tragic, but it is no more reasonable to label the entire Afghan refugee 
community, as well as those from 18 other countries, a security risk 
than it would be to label all Vermonters a security risk because of the 
act of one individual who a year ago shot three Palestinian students 
walking down a street in Burlington. It is wrong to accuse a whole 
population, whether on religious, racial, ethnic, or other grounds, for 
the abhorrent act of one individual.
  I want to convey my condolences to the family of the West Virginians 
who were targeted, one of whom, Sarah Beckstrom, died while serving her 
country. She was only 20 years old and had a promising life ahead of 
her.
  At the same time, I want to express my appreciation to the Afghans 
who supported our ill-fated mission in Afghanistan, at great risk to 
themselves, and who as a result had to abandon their country and their 
families to seek safety in the United States. Five years later, many of 
them are still waiting to be reunited with their families. Our 
communities are better for their presence among us.

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