Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Newsmax Thursday that then-President Joe Biden “broke the law” by allowing nearly 200,000 Afghans into the United States through what he called an abused humanitarian parole process, arguing the policy reflected a broader collapse of border and immigration enforcement.
Appearing on "National Report," Schmitt described the Afghan parole program as a "real-life example of the disaster that was our open border system and a really broken immigration system that the Biden administration … administered."
He said the scale and speed of admissions after the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 amounted to "suicidal empathy," adding, "This is totally insane. No sane country would do this."
Schmitt argued that the administration admitted large numbers of Afghans without sufficient background checks.
"Let nearly 200,000 people into your country through this … Afghan parole process and not have any idea who they are," he said.
"You don't know who they are; you don't know their criminal background; you don't know if they're a problem. It's totally insane."
Schmitt called for an immediate halt to further admissions until vetting can be verified, saying, "There needs to be obviously a pause," and those already here must be screened.
The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members last week, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He was granted asylum earlier this year by the Trump administration.
Schmitt also highlighted the financial cost, saying $14 billion was spent to resettle Afghans nationwide. He linked the expense to the broader strain he says illegal immigration has imposed on communities.
"You have 20 million people who've come here illegally, which has been a disaster for our country," he said, "and then you have these kinds of programs."
At the heart of Schmitt's legal criticism is the use of humanitarian parole, which he noted is intended to be narrow and case by case.
"What is that? It means that it's supposed to be individualized … you're individually reviewed, not an entire group of people from one country just because they're from one country," he said.
"So Biden broke the law when he did this."
Schmitt suggested the White House's strategy relied on political inertia once parolees were inside the country.
"Their bet … is that once they're here, there won't be the political will to do something about and vet these people and, in fact, deport some of the folks," he said.
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