The Trump White House has pointed fingers at a Biden administration initiative, Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), for allowing an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. on September 8, 2021, and had previously collaborated with the U.S. government, including the CIA, in Kandahar.
During Joe Biden’s presidency, Lakanwal applied for asylum, but his approval came under the Trump administration in April. Following the incident, some Trump officials have criticized the program for inadequate security vetting of entrants. The Trump administration announced the suspension of processing immigration applications from Afghanistan and a review of all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration.
Operation Allies Welcome was launched by President Biden in August 2021 to aid Afghan nationals, especially interpreters and translators, who had assisted the U.S. during the conflict and feared retribution from the Taliban. The program granted two years of humanitarian parole to arrivals, allowing them temporary entry for urgent humanitarian reasons, with the expectation to apply for asylum to stay in the U.S.
Approximately 190,000 Afghans resettled in the U.S. under OAW and the subsequent Enduring Welcome program. The vetting process involved biometric and biographic screenings for each individual before their entry into the country, followed by inspections upon arrival at U.S. airports, with further scrutiny as necessary.
Criticism of the vetting process arose from concerns raised by Republicans about potential security risks posed by inadequately vetted individuals entering the U.S. Reports from the DHS inspector general in September 2022 highlighted gaps in screening and tracking procedures for Afghan evacuees, emphasizing the need for more rigorous vetting to ensure national security.
Despite the tragic incident, organizations like #AfghanEvac emphasized the extensive security vetting procedures undergone by Afghan immigrants and allies resettling in the U.S., urging against generalizing the actions of one individual to tarnish the entire community.
