Milwaukee City Wire

Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson has requested information from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott about millions of nonimmigrant U.S. visas issued without standard vetting procedures. The request follows a Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report titled “CBP Has Not Evaluated the Security Risks of Interview-Waived Nonimmigrant U.S. Visa Holders.”

The report states that “between March 2020 and March 2024, the Department of State (DoS) issued more than 12 million nonimmigrant U.S. visas without conducting in-person interviews or collecting fingerprints.”

“These disturbing findings raise serious questions about DoS’s and CBP’s awareness of and ability to track the recipients of the 12 million nonimmigrant visas,” Chairman Johnson wrote.

“The fact that millions of nonimmigrant foreign nationals obtained a U.S. visa without undergoing the usual vetting process poses a significant national security risk,” Chairman Johnson continued.

Johnson is asking for further details from the State Department and CBP regarding their efforts to identify, locate, interview, and fingerprint those who received visas under these waived procedures.

Ron Johnson has held his Senate seat since first defeating Russ Feingold in 2010 with 51.9% of the vote, followed by re-election wins against Feingold again in 2016 with 50.2%, and Mandela Barnes in 2022 with 50.4%.

The full text of Chairman Johnson’s letter is available online.