Marco Rubio: Vetting Afghan Refugees ‘Nearly Impossible’ Under Taliban Rule

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the lack of official institutions and the Taliban’s governance in Afghanistan have made the process of vetting Afghan refugees—particularly those who assisted American forces during the 20-year war—exceedingly difficult and nearly impossible.

In an interview with Fox News, Rubio emphasized that under the current conditions, it is not feasible to properly assess the credibility of individuals “from a country without an effective government or record-keeping system,” and one controlled by what he referred to as “terrorists.”

Referencing the Trump administration’s policy on the issue, Rubio explained that, despite external pressure to accelerate the acceptance process, the system was deliberately slowed to carefully evaluate applicants’ eligibility. He noted this decision occurred even as many applicants, including those who had served as interpreters for U.S. forces, were under direct threat.

Rubio highlighted the challenges in conducting proper assessments, noting that the Taliban’s dominance in Afghanistan prevents travel to the region as well as in-person interviews with families and local contacts. “When a country is run by a terrorist group and lacks any official structure for maintaining records, how can one access reliable information?” he asked.

He added that one of the core challenges in the vetting process is the impossibility of expecting a comprehensive and flawless evaluation system under such severely compromised circumstances. He stressed that immigration authorities can only make decisions based on information that actually exists—but, in the case of many Afghan citizens, such information simply is not available.