Statewide Iowa — U.S. Senator Joni Ernst is responding to critics who question whether there are safety concerns about refugees being flown from Afghanistan to the United States.
Ernst, a Republican, has been an outspoken supporter of resettling Afghans in Iowa.
Ernst, a combat veteran, was at Fort Lee in Virginia early this month to visit with Afghan civilians with Special Immigrant Visas. During a forum Tuesday in Griswold, Ernst was quizzed about Afghans who would be resettled in Iowa. Ernst says all would go through the State Department’s Special Immigrant Visa process.
The Special Immigrant Visa program started in 2009. Applicants must provide a letter of recommendation and proof they were employed to support U.S. government activities in Afghanistan. Refugees with these visas are now being flown to other countries before their arrival in the United States.
According to the Department of Defense, they’re undergoing biometric screening, which means checking palm or finger prints or using facial recognition software to confirm the person’s identity.
