Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote a letter to Democrat President Joe Biden on Monday demanding that the Biden administration share information with Florida about the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and how certain impacts from the disaster that Biden created could impact the state of Florida.
“As President Biden’s self-imposed August 31, 2021, evacuation deadline approaches and the situation rapidly deteriorates, the continued lack of information sharing is unacceptable,” DeSantis wrote. “The crisis in Afghanistan is of President Biden’ s own making, yet the consequences extend beyond the borders of Afghanistan and into the United States.”
DeSantis said that it was critical for Biden to immediately answer the following questions:
1. How many Floridians remain in Afghanistan?
2. What is the Administration doing to ensure the safe evacuation of all American citizens and all
eligible Afghan partners?
3. How many Afghans are being evacuated to the United States and where are they going?
4. What is the vetting process of Afghans being transported to the United States?
5. Have any evacuees been flagged for possible ties to terrorism during security protocols?
6. What will happen to American citizens and Afghan allies left in harm’s way on September 1, 2021?
“The current situation on the ground in Afghanistan was avoidable and predictable. It will impact the safety of Americans and military partnerships for decades to come,” DeSantis continued. “I have a responsibility to protect the safety of every Floridian and stress the imperative of an immediate response.”
The Biden administration has not released many details about what they are planning to do to help get hundreds of trapped Americans out of Afghanistan. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during a press conference on Monday that he did not anticipate that the U.S. military would be involved in any of the evacuation efforts while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during remarks to the nation that the effort would be a diplomatic one. Biden is expected to address the nation on Tuesday.
In reference to DeSantis’ question about whether any of the evacuees have been flagged for potential security concerns, the answer is yes. Defense One reported last week that one of the Afghans had been flagged for potential ties to ISIS while up to 100 others had been flagged for other security matters.
The Washington Times reported on Monday that U.S. law enforcement officials took one individual into custody after he landed in the U.S. because he was a previously deported rapist that had somehow made it onto an evacuation flight out of Afghanistan.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to address the report last week, claiming that she couldn’t “speak to one individual, but I can tell you and confirm for you that we take the vetting of any individual who comes to the United States and comes out incredibly seriously and it’s an extensive process.”
