'Complete failure': Top GOP senator demands full report on migrants entering US, boarding flights without ID
FIRST ON FOX: The Biden administration is facing pressure from a top U.S. Senator to allow the full unredacted internal watchdog report that detailed how officials have released migrants into the U.S. without ID and allowed them to travel on domestic flights.
"These new findings in the DHS OIG report further illustrate the Biden-Harris administration’s complete failure of leadership to secure our borders and properly vet and identify noncitizens entering the U.S.," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., said in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. "These failures have put our national security at serious risk."
Grassley wrote in regard to a DHS Office of Inspector General report that found that DHS agencies have allowed noncitizens to enter the U.S. and board flights without confirming their identity.
The report found that CBP and ICE accept self-reported biographical information, which they use to give migrants immigration forms. The migrants can then get on domestic flights, even if they do not have identification.
The IG added that "immigration officers we interviewed acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without ID into the country."
Several portions of the report are heavily redacted, particularly where TSA conducted assessments on the risks of using the CBP One cellphone app as a screening tool.
The results of the assessments are not disclosed in the report.
"This is another example of the Biden-Harris DHS’s failure to be transparent with Congress and the American people," Grassley said. "These redactions raise significant questions about what the administration is trying to hide about the potential risks to our national security posed by its use of the CBP One app and program."
Grassley is seeking a full unredacted copy of the report, as well as information on how many noncitizens were allowed into the U.S. without confirming their identities, how many were high-risk and how many were allowed to fly on domestic flights.
DHS has pushed back against the report, calling its conclusions inaccurate.
"OIG’s report contains inaccurate statements, lacks important context, and is misleading about the Department’s efforts to verify the identity of noncitizens seeking entry into the United States and screening noncitizens flying domestically," the agency said in response. "OIG’s report also does not reflect policy and procedural updates DHS implemented this year to improve security in accordance with TSA’s normal risk assessment process."
The agency says that vetting is a point-in-time check, with all individuals being vetted against multiple databases, including Interpol Notices and the terror watch list.
The agency says that all travelers, including migrants, must present an acceptable form of ID to enter secure areas of an airport. Those who do not have ID are subjected to additional screening.
"If noncitizens do not have an acceptable ID and do not submit to facial recognition technology, they will be denied entry into the secure areas of the airport and will be denied boarding. If TSA cannot match their identity to DHS records, they will also be denied entry into the secure areas of the airport and will be denied boarding," the agency said.
It also emphasized that CBP One and DHS records are not considered acceptable forms of ID, and that facial recognition done using the app is separate from the appointment-scheduling function.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE
But the report marks the latest concern from Republicans about the entry of migrants into the U.S. and whether the vetting that is taking place is effective. Multiple lawmakers have repeatedly expressed fears about migrants getting on planes without ID, and who is being released into the U.S.
"This administration’s actions – and lack thereof – speak volumes: President Biden and Vice President Harris do not care to enforce our laws that say it’s illegal for noncitizens to enter our country without proper identification," Grassley said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "The findings in this independent watchdog report are yet another reminder America is less safe under their watch. My oversight is demanding concrete answers on what DHS is doing to fix the lax screening practices putting people in harm’s way."
Fox News' Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.