Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), who is running for Kentucky’s open U.S. Senate seat, has claimed that his stance on Afghan refugees aligns with the positions of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. However, a review of the statements cited by Barr’s campaign shows they do not reference the visa programs Barr has supported, leading critics to label the claim inaccurate.
Barr has faced criticism over his support for allowing certain Afghan nationals to enter the United States following the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The issue recently resurfaced after the Fight for Kentucky PAC released an advertisement highlighting Barr’s past remarks backing Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) and P visa programs for Afghan nationals.
The ad references comments Barr made in August 2021 during an interview with Kentucky Educational Television. At the time, Barr argued that the United States had an obligation to assist Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces during the war.
“We have failed in our obligation to help many of these Afghans who risked their lives and in many cases died for the cause of their own country in assistance to the United States,” Barr said. “We owe them to help them get into our country with these visas.”
Barr also said he supported SIV visas because failing to help Afghan allies would send a negative message to partners around the world.
The SIV program allows certain Afghan nationals who assisted the U.S. military or government to immigrate to the United States. P-1 and P-2 visa programs were also used to relocate some Afghans during the evacuation.
The PAC advertisement links Barr’s comments to the case of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national accused of killing National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injuring National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe in an alleged attack in Washington, D.C., in November of last year. Lakanwal had been resettled in the United States through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which relocated tens of thousands of Afghan nationals in 2021.
In August 2023, the State Department’s Inspector General issued a report highlighting concerns about the SIV program. The report noted that some aspects of the visa process relied on cooperation from the Taliban and raised broader questions about screening procedures.
Barr’s campaign has responded to the criticism by arguing that his position is consistent with that of Trump and Vance.
Campaign spokesman Alex Bellizzi said Barr supports helping vetted Afghan allies while opposing the resettlement of individuals who were not properly screened.
“Barr’s position on Afghan refugees is the same as President Trump’s and Vice President JD Vance — help the vetted Afghan allies who fought alongside our troops, while opposing Joe Biden’s reckless program to resettle unvetted migrants,” Bellizzi said.
However, the statements cited by Barr’s campaign do not specifically reference the SIV program or P visa programs.
For example, in August 2021 Trump said in a Fox News interview that the United States should prioritize evacuating American citizens first but also help Afghans who assisted U.S. forces — while emphasizing the need for careful vetting.
“I’m America first, the Americans come out first, but we’re also going to help people that helped us and we have to be very careful with the vetting,” Trump said.
Similarly, JD Vance expressed concerns during the 2021 evacuation about prioritizing American citizens and ensuring national security during any refugee resettlement process.
In an August 2021 video posted to social media, Vance said the first responsibility of U.S. leaders should be protecting American citizens.
“The obvious answer should be American citizens,” Vance said, adding that evacuating Americans should take priority before discussing Afghan refugees.
In September 2021, Vance also warned that the Biden administration’s refugee resettlement program could create security risks if individuals were not thoroughly vetted.
Because neither Trump nor Vance explicitly endorsed the SIV or P visa programs in the statements cited by Barr’s campaign, critics argue the claim that Barr shares their exact position is misleading.
