Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee have issued a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), demanding documents that explain how personnel screened evacuees during the Biden administration’s military withdrawal and civilian evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021. For months, House Republicans have been seeking these records and raising concerns about the department’s vetting process as it resettled approximately 88,500 Afghan nationals in the United States. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) expressed frustration with the department’s delay in providing satisfactory documents and materials.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Mr. Green revealed that out of the 1,601 pages the department had already turned over to his committee, 150 pages were either redacted, empty, or unreadable. Additionally, many materials were provided in a format that made them indecipherable to the committee. Mr. Green also noted that a password-protected spreadsheet had been provided but without the password, and the department refused to provide it.
Committee Republicans have been pursuing these records since May and have made multiple follow-up attempts to obtain the necessary information. The subpoena issued by Mr. Green requires Mr. Mayorkas to turn over the requested documents by noon on Nov. 7.
In response to the subpoena, a DHS spokesperson stated that the department had acted in good faith and accused the House Homeland Security Committee of being overly demanding in their requests. The spokesperson emphasized that DHS had already provided thousands of pages of documents, numerous briefings, and sent dozens of witnesses to appear for hearings. The department had also turned over nearly 7,000 pages of documents and data in recent weeks. The spokesperson argued that the committee’s conduct undermined the department’s ability to effectively respond to their requests and fulfill its other responsibilities.
Another DHS official reiterated the department’s commitment to cooperating with the committee but asserted that the subpoena was unnecessary. The official explained that DHS was currently reviewing thousands of additional documents and planned to provide them in “rolling productions” over the next few weeks. When asked about Mr. Green’s claim regarding undecipherable or password-protected documents, the DHS spokesperson did not provide further comment.
The Republicans’ effort to obtain these documents has been ongoing, with the subpoena being the latest development. The DHS’s response suggests continued disagreements between the committee and the department over the scope and timeliness of document production.