The Sconi

Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson has sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott. The letter addresses concerns raised by a recent Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) report titled “CBP Has Not Evaluated the Security Risks of Interview-Waived Nonimmigrant U.S. Visa Holders.”

According to the DHS OIG report, from March 2020 to March 2024, the Department of State issued more than 12 million nonimmigrant U.S. visas without in-person interviews or fingerprint collection.

“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 seeking detailed information from both agencies about their efforts to identify, locate, interview, and fingerprint those visa holders who did not undergo standard vetting procedures. The full text of his letter is available online.

Ron Johnson has held his Senate seat since first defeating Russ Feingold in 2010, winning subsequent re-election campaigns against Feingold in 2016 and Mandela Barnes in 2022.