The Trump administration has pointed fingers at a program initiated by the Biden administration for the entry of a man believed to be responsible for shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) on September 8, 2021. Lakanwal had previously worked with U.S. government agencies, including the CIA. Although he applied for asylum during Biden’s presidency, his approval came under the Trump administration in April.
Following the incident, some officials from the Trump administration, including the former president, criticized the OAW program for inadequate security vetting. As a response, the Trump administration halted the processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan and initiated a review of asylum cases approved during the Biden administration.
Operation Allies Welcome was launched by President Biden to assist Afghan allies during the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The program, primarily aimed at interpreters and translators who aided the U.S. during the conflict, provided two years of humanitarian parole to those arriving in the U.S., allowing them to apply for asylum if they wanted to stay. Approximately 190,000 Afghans resettled in the U.S. under OAW and the subsequent Enduring Welcome program.
The vetting process for Afghan evacuees involved extensive screenings, including biometric and biographic checks, before their entry into the U.S. Despite these measures, concerns were raised about potential security risks posed by individuals entering the country through the program. Reports indicated gaps in the vetting process, with inaccurate or missing data for screening evacuees and challenges in tracking their movements post-arrival.
Criticism of the program extended to government reports highlighting deficiencies in security procedures and vetting protocols. Sen. Joni Ernst and other senators raised questions about the clarity and effectiveness of the Biden administration’s security measures for vetting Afghan arrivals, urging stricter vetting procedures for evacuees. Former Sen. Rob Portman expressed concerns over the lack of rigorous vetting, emphasizing potential security threats arising from the hasty evacuation process.
Despite these criticisms, organizations assisting with resettlement, like #AfghanEvac, emphasized the thorough security vetting procedures that Afghan immigrants and allies undergo upon resettlement in the U.S. They condemned the act of violence while advocating against stereotyping or stigmatizing the entire Afghan community based on individual actions.