Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Russell Fry Accuses Biden Of Making Policies That 'Flooded The Zone' In Visa Vetting Processes
Forbes Breaking News
Follow
6/30/2025
During Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) questioned witnesses about vetting processes and procedure for visa applications.
Category
🗞
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
Our chair now recognizes himself for five minutes. I think it's important to
00:05
realize how we got here, right? I served in Congress for two and a half years and
00:09
one of the first hearings that we ever had, the ranking member of this committee,
00:12
not this one, said that we were imagined, Republicans were imagining a border
00:17
crisis, right? Kind of a stark commentary from the ranking member when all
00:21
evidence seemed to suggest and show that there was indeed a border crisis where
00:26
millions of people were pouring in illegally. And one of the concerns of
00:29
that, not only from the illegal side that Mr. Knott talked about, but the legal
00:33
side too. Ms. Vaughn, it seems to me that the evidence suggests that the Biden
00:39
administration kind of flooded the zone a little bit and there weren't adequate
00:42
checks on the people that were going through the visa process normally. Would
00:46
you agree with that? I would agree with that. They implemented through Secretary
00:51
Mayorkas a get-to-yes culture. We're instructed to minimize vetting and to
00:58
approve, you know, as a default. I'm discouraged from referring cases to fraud. They were not allowed
01:09
to issue notices to appear for failed benefit applicants. So they sort of took away the
01:15
consequence of filing a frivolous application by, you know, letting people who were here illegally
01:22
applied for visas and the few that were denied, you know, nothing happened to them. And that created a huge
01:30
impetus to apply for some of these visa programs that people, you know, really wouldn't even claim to
01:37
qualify for, but they knew by just filing the application they could get a work permit and protection for
01:43
deportation. And that just destroys the integrity of the system and it makes legal applicants have to
01:49
wait longer for the benefits that they deserve. Correct. And now we're, now we're forced to figure
01:53
out whether people are categorized in the right place, right? Whether they were even lawfully allowed
01:58
to, to get the visa that they were supposed to, to receive. That's right. There have been people whose
02:03
lawful status has been held back by all these frivolous applications and people who are, have either
02:09
received them already fraudulently or who are on waiting lists and who have work permits who shouldn't have
02:18
them at all. When it comes to vetting, obviously the Biden administration rescinded Trump's prior
02:22
executive order for his, from his first term, uh, that, that kind of strengthened the visa process.
02:27
But the, the new executive order under president Trump called for maximum vetting, uh, in order to
02:32
reviews of countries with poor screening, uh, and, uh, and ergo travel suspensions, of course. Um,
02:39
Mr. Hankinson can, can, can a restriction on a country be lifted?
02:42
And how would that look? I guess when, when they would comply and have adequate background checks
02:48
of their own citizens, that would, that would be a reason why, uh, a country that is on that list,
02:54
uh, could now be, um, allowed into the country. If they would take all of their citizens back when
03:00
we asked them to was one factor. Uh, the overstay rate in some of these countries for Chad, it was 50%.
03:06
So out of every two people issued a visa, one doesn't come back. Maybe it's time to rethink that one.
03:11
Um, if they got their house in order, if their central agencies were able to issue credible documents
03:16
and verify criminal records, I would assume that they could be let back in.
03:21
Mr. Hankinson, would you agree that our foreign adversaries exploit our immigration system?
03:25
And if you do agree with that, how so?
03:27
Absolutely. Um, well, we know that the Chinese have, uh, spied on American companies,
03:33
American universities, and the American government. Obviously it's not all of them. It's just a small percentage,
03:37
but that's all you need. We know that, uh, the Russians have done the same, the Cubans. Um,
03:42
it, it's a very easy, uh, country to get into, or at least it has been.
03:47
Uh, Mr. Brown, does the current executive order by President Trump, do you believe that that closes
03:53
security gaps, uh, more effectively than the previous administrations?
03:57
Uh, maybe, but I think the, what the Trump administration has is some wonderful statutes
04:03
that you all have already passed and gives them wide latitude to enforce some of these laws.
04:08
You just brought up the fact, what do we do with all those people who came in under the Biden
04:11
administration through legal channels and weren't eligible? In my opinion, the Trump administration
04:17
tomorrow should stand up a permanent revocation division inside USCIS. And look at these, look at
04:23
these applications that went through. Number two, the other thing they can do right now is for a lot
04:29
of the victims who have been personally harmed by these foreign nationals. There is an existing
04:34
process in place with the board of immigration appeals that allows them to appeal their I-130
04:40
petitions based on fraud. That's something they can implement right now. There's no other statute
04:45
that needs to be done. Thank you for that. Ms. Vaughn, uh, regarding President Trump's executive,
04:51
current executive order, do you believe that if we had had this in place during the Biden
04:55
administration that ICE would not have had to apprehend 11 Iranian nationals this past Sunday,
05:01
one of them being a former army sniper for the IRGC? Um, well, I mean, it's hard to know. Um, but I do
05:08
believe that there would have been, um, the ones who came over the border would, are more likely to have
05:14
been stopped. And the ones who came on visas are less likely to have been able to get those visas. I mean,
05:20
really, um, you know, since we can't, don't have a machine that can read people's minds, the best
05:26
defense against allowing people to enter who mean our country harm is to have routine across the board
05:34
immigration enforcement that will ensnare the threats as well as the people who are committing
05:42
fraud or simply don't qualify. I agree with you. And including a look, a purview of their social media,
05:46
which would have shown at least with the Boulder, Colorado individual, uh, sharing Muslim
05:51
brotherhood propaganda. Uh, with that, I see my time has expired. Um, and, uh, Mr. Chairman,
06:00
you see request, uh, further to the colloquy between Mr. Noresta and, uh, the congresswoman from
06:08
Texas. Um, this is in Pew Research Center. A majority of Americans say immigrants fill jobs.
06:14
U.S. citizens do not want.
Recommended
5:17
|
Up next
'They Are Now In Our Homeland': Wesley Hunt Issues Issues Warning About Terror Watch Listees Released In US
Forbes Breaking News
6/26/2025
1:45
'My Wife Still Has Trouble Talking About It': Witness Tells Chip Roy About Abuse Of Visa Program
Forbes Breaking News
7/1/2025
4:55
Kevin Kiley Questions Witness About Where He Thinks Criminal And Civil Liabilities Should Diverge
Forbes Breaking News
5/13/2025
5:17
Tom Tiffany Absolutely Explodes At Witness Who Said Biden Admin 'Did A Good Job In Some Ways'
Forbes Breaking News
6/30/2025
5:47
Steny Hoyer Asks OMB Director Russell Vought If He Considers The Budget Passed By Congress As A 'Suggestion'
Forbes Breaking News
6/5/2025
5:19
'I'm Trying To Be As Civil As I Can': Gary Peters Gets Fed Up With Russell Vought Asking About Cuts
Forbes Breaking News
6/26/2025
6:22
'That's An Absurdity!': Gillibrand Laces Into Russell Vought When He Defends Recissions Package
Forbes Breaking News
6/26/2025
4:54
Zohran Mamdani Doesn’t Think We Should Have Billionaires. Here’s Why That Will Never Happen.
Forbes
yesterday
4:38
Battling Frizz And Graying Roots Made This Entrepreneur A $600 Million Fortune
Forbes
yesterday
4:26
Could Tesla Owners Be Sued For Robotaxi Accidents?
Forbes
yesterday
1:05
Bitcoin Surges Past $120K Ahead Of 'Crypto Week' In Washington
Benzinga
yesterday
0:46
Google Hires Windsurf CEOÂ as AI Hiring Battle Intensifies
Benzinga
yesterday
1:08
M&M, Skittles Maker Rejects RFK Jr.'s Call To Drop Synthetic Dyes
Benzinga
yesterday
1:35
Volodymyr Zelensky Expresses Gratitude After Trump's Statements on Military Provisions
TIME
yesterday
3:06
Trump and Rutte Announce Deal for U.S. to Send Ukraine Weapons Through NATO
TIME
yesterday
1:09
Trump Threatens Tariffs on Russia in Ultimatum to Putin Over Ukraine Peace Deal
TIME
yesterday
1:25
'It All Smells': Ron Johnson Asked Point Blank About His Opinion On The Epstein Files
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
4:16
'You Have A Hostile Tone': Constituent Laces Into Ron Johnson During Teletownhall
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
1:41
'They Are Desperate To Cheat': Hakeem Jeffries Slams Push For Texas Redistricting
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
1:30
Supreme Court Approves Trump’s Department Of Education Gutting
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
0:48
'He Resigned The Following Morning!': Trump Takes Swipe At Thom Tillis For Voting No On BBB
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
2:33
Donald Trump's Hesitation To Answer Question About Epstein Files Sparks Backlash
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
2:24
'Everybody Gets Something': Trump Celebrates Big Beautiful Bill
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
2:35
'Delivered A Syringe In My Mailbox': Marjorie Taylor Greene Discusses Speaking To FBI About Threats
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday
1:49
Trump Goes On Angry Rant About Indictments And Impeachments During Faith Event
Forbes Breaking News
yesterday