Say his name: U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza murdered by terrorists in Kabul. He was only 20.

Say his name: U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza murdered by terrorists in Kabul. He was only 20.

Say his name: U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza murdered by terrorists in Kabul. He was only 20.

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LAREDO, TX- Among the fallen in the terrorist attacks outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan was 20-year-old U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza. 

According to reports, Espinoza was named as one of the fallen Marines from the Laredo Police Department and the Rio Bravo City Hall Official in Texas. The City of Laredo expressed its condolences in an announcement to the community:

“The City of Laredo expresses its most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza, a brave young man from Laredo, Texas. Thank you for your service to the U.S.A. and Laredo. Your acts of courage and bravery will always be remembered.”

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar from Laredo named Espinoza a hero and said he embodied the values of his country, adding:

“Mr. Espinoza, a Laredo Marine killed in Afghanistan, embodied the values of America: grit, dedication, service, and valor. When he joined the military after high school, he did so with the intention of protecting our nation and demonstrating his selfless acts of service.”

He stated:

“I mourn him and all the fallen heroes in Afghanistan. My heart goes out to the Espinoza family in this extremely difficult time. The brave never die. Mr. Espinoza is a hero.”

On Friday, August 27th, Gov. Abbott ordered Texas flags across the state to be lowered half-staff through sunset on Monday, August 30th in honor of those who lost their lives during the attack. In a Twitter post, he wrote:

“I ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the U.S. service members killed in yesterday’s horrific attack in Kabul. U.S. Marine David Lee Espinoza, a Laredo native, was one of the 13 service members killed. These heroes should never be forgotten.”

In a news release, Abbott said:

“What we’re witnessing in Kabul right now is an absolute tragedy. Brave U.S. Marines and soldiers sacrificed everything to protect innocent lives and defend our nation’s principles of freedom and liberty for all.”

He added:

“Their families are left grieving the heartbreaking loss of a loved one. Please join Cecilia and me in praying for these Marines and soldiers who fought through to the end, for their loved ones and for all U.S. military member who continue to serve courageously and honorably for our country around the world.”

Espinoza was born in Laredo and was a 2019 graduate of Lyndon B. Johnson High School. Espinoza lived in Rio Bravo his entire life. The Laredo Police Department released the following statement:

“Our thoughts and prayers will remain with the family of United States Fallen Marine, David L. Espinoza, as well as to his friends and fellow Marines. Semper Fi. Thank you for your service.”

Mayor Gilbert Aguilar Jr. posted a statement on the Rio Bravo City Hall Facebook page saying:

“Beside his grave old glory waved for his country his life he gave, starting his name etched in stone, he gave all and is not alone, looking up all I could see, were sacrifices made for you and me, tears of sorrow rolled down my face, what I would give to take his place, hard to express my feelings inside, empty and helpless most of all pride, we mourn our loss and our souls grieve, he fought and died for what he believed, our flag will fly our anthem will play, never taking for granted our freedom today, priceless are the memories of our time together, the different he made will last forever, I took my wife’s hand and we walked away, we buried our son a fallen hero today.”

Reports have shown there were two suicide bombings outside the Kabul international airport that killed at least 175 people, including 13 U.S. military personnel, in addition to many more wounded. There are reportedly still hundreds of Americans in Afghanistan. 

Espinoza was among the military members who were keeping the airport at the Afghan capital secure as evacuations were being made of refugees and American citizens. 

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Report: Pentagon officials clueless on how many Afghan refugees on terrorist watch lists are now in the U.S.

August 28th, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C.- According to a recent report from Breitbart News, Biden’s Department of Defense has zero clue as to how many Afghans flagged on terrorist watch lists have sought refuge in the United States through evacuations out of Afghanistan.

During a press briefing just days after the Biden’s administration’s evacuation efforts in Kabul, Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby made it abundantly clear that he did not know how many Afghans seeing resettlement in the U.S. had already been flagged on terrorist watch lists.

The exchange during that press briefing began with Jennifer Griffin asking:

“How many individuals on terror watch lists have been screened or found at any of the screening points either in Qatar, Ramstein, or in the U.S.?”

To which Kirby responded by saying:

“I don’t know. We’ll have to take that question and get back to you.”

However, Pentagon officials told Defense One that:

“Up to 100 of the 7,000 Afghans evacuated as prospective recipients of Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) seeking permanent resettlement in the U.S. have been ‘flagged’ as potential matches to intelligence agency watch lists.”

Adding:

“There’s certainly been a number of them who triggered alerts, requiring agents to pull those evacuees aside for further screening. In most cases, those Afghans, many of whom have already been vetted through the special immigration visa process, were cleared by follow-on screening.”

https://twitter.com/jmor539/status/1431363092802383876

NBC News detailed how fraud is already occurring within the massive Afghanistan-to-U.S. resettlement effort by the Biden administration. 

At the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, State Department officials said there have been five cases where Afghans attempted to use fraudulent American passports to try to get on flights bound for the U.S. The report stated:

“The U.S. mission team reported at least five cases of Afghans who presented U.S. passports that didn’t belong to them … highlighting fraud concerns and complicating the process of screening people to enter the airport.”

Biden has touted that Afghans are being screened at U.S. Military bases abroad, yet he ignored the fact that they are also being flown to the U.S. before having completed their visa processing. Specifically, Afghans are being sent to Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Lee in Virginia, For McCoy in Wisconsin, and Fort Dix in New Jersey to continue their processing.

Over the last two decades, nearly a million refugees have been resettled in the United States, which is more than double that of residents living in Miami, Florida. According to data, refugee resettlement costs American taxpayers nearly $9 billion every five years. 

Each refugee costs taxpayers about $133,000 over the course of their lifetime. Within five years, an estimated 16 percent of all refugees admitted into the U.S. will need housing assistance paid for by taxpayers.

NBC also reported that officials within the CIA, the Pentagon, and members of Congress are “outraged” that the U.S. will not stay in Afghanistan longer to evacuate more Afghans to resettle across the United States.

A former U.S. intelligence official who declined to be quoted by name, said he grew nauseated as he considered how many Afghan allies would be left behind. He added:

“People are furious and disgusted.”

Former CIA Director John Brennan, an NBC News national security consultant said in a statement:

“At the CIA, officers feel a real sense of obligation, moral obligation and personal obligation to the Afghans.”

Reportedly, the Biden administration is set to provide “humanitarian parole” to about 50,000 Afghans, which will allow them to come to the U.S. without having secured a visa and without having finalized their immigration processing.

After having humanitarian parole for a year or so, the thousands of Afghans would be able to adjust their status, likely taking advantage of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to remain in the U.S.

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Security concerns explode as Afghan refugees pour into U.S. before to proper processing

August 26th, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC – As forces and civilians inside Afghanistan struggle with a terrorist bombing that killed 12 U.S. Marines and the re-emergence of groups like al Qaeda and ISIS, the Biden administration is reportedly welcoming up to 50,000 Afghans into the United States without visas or proper immigration processing.

Three officials told Bloomberg News that the President is planning to use “humanitarian parole” to allow Afghans to resettle in the U.S. 

The program would target Afghans at risk from the Taliban but who have not yet requested, or do not qualify for, a special immigrant visa designed for people who aided U.S. forces or diplomats.  

“Humanitarian parole” is rarely used and is reserved for urgent situations where a person can obtain a one-year pass into the United States prior to completing their requests for asylum, refuge, or other lawful entry programs.

One senior official said that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is using the program to ensure evacuees from Afghanistan have legal status in the U.S. amid the rush to remove as many at-risk Afghans out of the country as possible before the August 31 deadline for full removal of American forces.

Democrats have called on President Biden to expedite Afghan refugees’ entry into the U.S. A group of Senate Democrats was joined by two Republicans in calling for humanitarian parole. Joined by moderate Republicans Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the group wrote:

“We strongly urge you to create a humanitarian parole category specifically for women leaders, activists, human rights defenders, judges, parliamentarians, journalists, and members of the Female Tactical Platoon of the Afghan Special Security Forces.”

Other Republicans are sounding concerns about the security environment as Afghans enter the country without full vetting. Wisconsin Republicans, for example, have expressed concerns about public safety and the cost of resettlement to taxpayers.

Federal officials said last week that Fort McCoy, located near Tomah, Wisconsin, was a site under consideration as an Afghan settlement site for an undetermined number of refugees. The government has estimated upwards of 20,000 refugees may be housed in three separate facilities inside the U.S.

Wisconsin state Senator Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) sent Gov. Tony Evers (D) a letter expressing concern over the lack of knowledge about the refugees. In the letter, Testin wrote:

“You have offered no information on whether you intend to insist on safeguards for the people of this state, or whether you intend to close your eyes and open your arms to 10 to 20 thousand potentially unidentified, potentially unvetted, potentially unhealthy people as they pour into rural Wisconsin.”

Testin said during a subsequent interview that he wants to welcome the refugees, but is concerned:

“We want to make sure that we are helping those that truly need to be helped, those who have helped our U.S. efforts overseas over the course of the last 20 years.

“We’re not trying to make this overly political; we just need some answers.”

Assurances from Garry Reid, lead for the U.S. Department of Defense’s crisis action group for Afghanistan, that refugees will go through full immigration processing once in the U.S. did little to dissuade safety concerns for Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Tom Tiffany (R):

“Our national security has been deeply degraded in the months since January 20 and allowing the mass entry of foreigners from a known hotbed of terrorism will only make this situation far worse.”

Several politicians from both sides of the aisle and leaders of allied countries have called on the President to delay the deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan to allow more time to properly evacuate citizens in a controlled fashion.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said:

“The president needs to forget about the Aug. 31 deadline. Extend the deadline, get outside the perimeter, make sure that every single American who wants to leave is able to get out with our assistance and our Afghan allies.”

Earlier this week, during a G7 emergency meeting on Afghanistan, President Biden refused to change the deadline, citing concerns that terrorists could strike the airport. Tragically, he was right about that.

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Biden admits terrorists ‘may seek to exploit the situation’ in Afghanistan

August 24, 2021

 

WASHINGTON, DC – President Biden refused to give details on the U.S. plan for evacuations ongoing in Afghanistan, citing a risk that “terrorists may seek to exploit” the chaos if the United States does not leave the country soon.

In a televised speech from the White House Sunday evening, Biden said U.S. forces were communicating and coordinating with Americans in Kabul, working to get them to Hamid Karzai International Airport for evacuation.

He also said that forces have increased the perimeter around the airport to make it easier for people to arrive at the site safely. He refused to go into detail, but again insisted that any American who wanted to leave could do so:

“Our first priority in Kabul is getting American citizens out of the country as quickly and as safely as possible. But I will say again today what I’ve said before — any American who wants to get home will get home.”

The President then admitted that terrorists were a concern inside the country, including ISIS-K, an off-shoot of the ISIS caliphate that was destroyed in Iraq and Syria.

As the United States struggles to evacuate Americans and Afghans who aided the U.S. military during the war, an operation that has deteriorated into panic and chaos, the President spoke to the American people about the risk of terrorists inside Afghanistan:

“We know that terrorists may seek to exploit the situation. We’re under no illusions about the threat.

“We are maintaining the constant vigilance to monitor and disrupt threats from any source, including the likely source being ISIS-K, the Afghan affiliate referred to as ISIS-K.

But every day we have troops on the ground. These troops and innocent civilians at the airport face the risk of attack from ISIS-K at a distance, even though we are moving back the perimeter significantly.”

Since the President ordered the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan, the country has fallen into chaos as the Taliban took hold of power faster than Americans expected. As the evacuation began to look more like a retreat, the Taliban declared victory over American and has begun re-instituting Sharia law.

Americans have been harassed and assaulted making their way to the airport to be flown out of the country, and many Afghans who worked for the U.S. as interpreters and other support staff have been left behind.

Despite the operational failures, President Biden praised the progress of evacuations during his comments:

“I’ve continued to make progress since I spoke to you on Friday. We have moved thousands of people each day by U.S. military aircraft and civilian charter flights.

“A little over 30 hours – in a little over 30 hours this weekend, we’ve evacuated an extraordinary number of people, as I will detail in a minute: about 11,000 individuals. That number will change day to day as the air and ground operations in Kabul vary.”

https://twitter.com/Artem51780867/status/1430296371781902337

Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying “it did not have to be this way.” He oversaw President Trump’s plan for withdrawal, which Biden rejected when he came into office.

Pompeo said the military should have been the last out of the country:

“So, President Trump had made clear in his campaign, he wanted to get our young men and women home as quickly as he could. We were striving to achieve that.

“He also made very, clear both when I was CIA director, but more directly to me when I was the Secretary of State, that we had a second objective—and that was to make sure we could do so in a way that was orderly, that got equipment home, that got American civilians out, and then protected our second objective there, which was to continue to be able to reduce the risk that we ever had an attack on the homeland from that place.”

Pompeo said the failed withdrawal could increase the risk of terrorism as Afghanistan provides ungoverned space for training camps:

“We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this terror threat is a global risk—we have to make sure we confront it, not just in Afghanistan, but every place we find it.

So, I do think if we get that piece wrong, and it appears that the collapse of the Afghan military because of the poor decision-making and planning of the Biden administration…

“It absolutely increases the risk of that whether it’s a month or six months or a year from now—that radical Islamic terrorists will have an ungoverned space in which to begin to plan and plot.

And it will be even more difficult than it needed to be to measure these plots and make sure we’re able to interdict them or take them down before they’re able to strike.”

 

 

 

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About The Author

Jenna Curren, Ed.D., is an assistant professor in criminal justice studies. As chair of a CJ advisory board, Jenna actively partners with members of the community to integrate current students into internships and prospective law enforcement careers. Prior to working in academics, Jenna held various custody and treatment positions and was a lieutenant for the CT Department of Correction. Throughout her tenure, she supervised men, women, youth and mental health offenders. A C.E.R.T and honor guard member, as well as a training officer, Jenna has 10 years of experience in the criminal justice and human services fields.

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