Governor Greg Gianforte of Montana released a statement calling upon President Biden and his administration to stop the resettlements of Afghan refugees until a better vetting process can be guaranteed. The request comes after a 19-year-old Afghan male who was recently placed in Montana by the U.S. State Department was charged with the rape of a Missoula, Montana woman.
Gianforte’s office said in the statement that while the Governor welcomes “fully-vetted Afghan allies to Montana, this situation and others across the country raise serious concerns about whether the Biden administration is meeting its obligations to fully vet Afghans prior to resettlement.”
“I’m calling on President Biden to immediately halt resettlements to Montana until federal agencies provide me with adequate assurance that Afghans coming to Montana are fully-vetted in accordance with federal law.”
Montana’s Republican Senator Steve Daines backs the Governor’s request to stop resettlements, saying the suspect was placed in Montana under humanitarian parole. “The fallout and consequences from President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan continue,” said Daines in a statement.
“While I support assisting our fully-vetted Afghan allies who served alongside our armed forces, President Biden has failed to provide answers as to who has come into the country or if they have been fully vetted according to what’s required by law. I’ve spoken to Gov. Gianforte about this situation, and I stand with him in calling on President Biden to stop all Afghan resettlements to Montana until we get answers.”
Another Montana state politician, Republican Representative Matt Rosendale not only agreed with his colleagues, but went a step further calling on Biden to “begin to remove Afghan evacuees that have been resettled from the United States.”
Unfortunately, similar situations are occurring all over the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the assault of a female U.S. servicemember by a “small group of male evacuees” which allegedly took place at a Fort Bliss Afghan refugee housing complex in New Mexico.
Representative Rosendale stated, “these unvetted Afghans do not share our culture and our values, and as this horrific incident shows they represent a serious risk to our communities. We cannot allow this administration to continue to jeopardize the safety of our communities and the security of our nation in the name of empathy.”
