Lakhanwar originally gained admission to the United States through Operation Welcoming Allies, a special visa program designed to evacuate vulnerable Afghans who were working with the U.S. military.
Witness heard ‘rapid gunfire’ as National Guard fires
Michael Ryan, a Washington, D.C. resident, was on his way to lunch when he heard “rapid gunfire” that killed two National Guard soldiers.
- The suspected gunman is an Afghan national who reportedly entered the United States through Operation Welcome Allies.
- The program was created to quickly evacuate vulnerable Afghans who supported U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War.
- Critics point to previous warnings that it did not properly vet and track some evacuees.
The Nov. 26 ambush of two National Guard soldiers near the White House has sparked fresh criticism of a Biden administration-era plan to bring the suspected gunman to the United States after two decades of war in Afghanistan.
Reuters reports that Rahmanullah Rakanwar, 29, an Afghan from Washington state, has been identified as the suspect in the shooting.
Lakhanwal gained entry to the country through Operation Welcome Allies. The program was originally a special visa program created to evacuate vulnerable Afghans and their families who had cooperated with U.S. forces during the war when the Taliban regained control during the U.S. withdrawal.
At the time, there was significant pressure from lawmakers of both parties to act quickly amid concerns that Afghans who served with U.S. forces would be killed. This allowed the Biden administration to speed up the process compared to previous refugee efforts.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in 2021 that “our objective is to relocate eligible individuals out of the country in advance of lifting the troop withdrawal at the end of August.”
But the shooting, which seriously injured two West Virginia Guardsmen identified as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolf, 24, has reopened discussions about the plan, including an earlier warning in a Department of Homeland Security report outlining how the Biden administration failed to track Afghan refugees.
The DHS Inspector General’s report found that some people left U.S. military bases designated as “safe havens” without the authorities’ knowledge. That’s because tracking systems aren’t designed with departures in mind. Other data quality issues included contact information for evacuees.
According to reports, Lakhanwal has overstayed his visa and is in the US illegally.
President Trump blasts program to allow ‘unvetted aliens’ into US
Immediately after the shooting, President Donald Trump issued a video statement condemning it as a “heinous assault” and “act of terrorism.” He also claimed that the previous administration allowed “20 million unknown and unvetted aliens” into the country, placing much of the blame on former President Joe Biden, his most high-profile political target.
“This attack highlights the greatest national security threat facing our country,” President Trump said.
Other Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, echoed that the program has allowed “many individuals on mass parole without review” to enter the United States, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on November 27 that it would suspend all admission requests from Afghan nationals.
Before the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, the Biden administration faced immense pressure from lawmakers of both parties fearing retaliation against Afghan allies.
Congress created a special visa program in 2006 for Afghans and Iraqis who served with the U.S. military in those two conflicts, but it took nearly three years to process Afghan applications, the State Department said at the time, in part because of the rigorous vetting process.
The Pentagon began its troop drawdown in May 2021, when about 18,000 Afghans were awaiting approval and fewer than 11,000 slots were available.
By July 2021, a month before the withdrawal, the Biden administration launched a “Welcome Allies” program to evacuate thousands of interpreters and translators, a move supported by Democrats and Republicans alike.
DHS said many people arriving under the program were granted parole for two years, subject to necessary testing and review. Approximately 190,000 Afghans were resettled in the United States under this operation and provided with temporary housing and support on U.S. military bases.
But some Republicans, including former Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, questioned the process, pointing to the inspector general’s report on the plan. He warned that without a rigorous vetting and in-person interview process, the United States “faces a growing threat.”
“Instead, this administration has tolerated a lack of effective testing of Afghan evacuees, putting our communities at risk, and now seeks to fast-track their citizenship through the upcoming appropriations process,” Portman said in a September 2022 press release.
“As I have said repeatedly, I support the resettlement of the Afghans who have fought alongside us and our allies for the past 20 years…The United States faces a growing threat from the current administration’s devastating displacement of Afghans without a rigorous and thorough review.”
In 2023, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said that “questions remain about the nature of those enrolled in domestic resettlement programs” and called for more transparency after withdrawal.
However, questions will remain about how the current administration has dealt with the critical issue of the flood of refugees.
Months before the shooting, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee, asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation for answers about security concerns about vetting Afghan evacuees.
In a March 11 letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, the Iowa senator questioned the investigation of Nasir Ahmad Tauhedi, an Afghan refugee arrested in an ISIS-backed terrorist attack aimed at the 2024 election.
Among the questions was what steps federal law enforcement agencies have taken to monitor Afghan evacuees considered a national security concern.
Refugee group: Afghans remaining in the U.S. are left ‘legally incapacitated’
The impact of the massive investigation into the tens of thousands of Afghans who entered the country under Operation Welcoming Allies is not yet clear, but supporters are already biting their nails.
Global Refuge, a nonprofit organization that has resettled some 25,000 Afghans since 2021, denounced the decision to end what it called “lifesaving protections” for displaced people it helped the United States during the longest war. The party is calling on Congress to move toward permanent residence for the estimated 11,700 Afghans who remain legally incapacitated in the United States.
Krish Omara Vignaraja, the group’s president and CEO, said ending Afghans’ temporary protected status is “not consistent with the reality of the situation” in their homeland.
“The situation remains dire, especially for our allies who supported the U.S. mission, women and girls, religious minorities, and ethnic groups targeted by the Taliban,” he said in a statement to USA TODAY. “The insecurities of our Afghan clients are real and growing. They want to contribute, work and live in peace, but now face legal impasse and fear of deportation.”
One of Trump’s first actions upon returning to the White House this year was to suspend the refugee program, which includes some protections for displaced Afghans, despite widespread reports of a Taliban-led crackdown.
Vignaraja said further removals could create a domino effect for Afghan nationals, who have no other immigration status and whose applications are pending, could begin to accumulate illegal stays and create barriers to future immigration benefits.
He said temporary protections were never intended to be a long-term solution and that the Trump administration’s ending of protections without a permanent alternative would leave those who helped the United States in a “precarious position.”
“America has promised to protect those who support us, and this Congress must deliver on that promise by providing a durable path to security and stability,” Vignaraja said.
In a Nov. 26 post on X, Sean Vandiver, president of AfghanistanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghan allies after the U.S. withdrawal, warned that the gunman must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, but not to demonize entire communities.
He said Afghan immigrants resettling in the United States undergo “the most extensive security screening of any nation.”
But such a path may become impossible as anger over the shootings intensifies.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey called the attack an “unspeakable act of violence” as the president ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington.
“If they don’t love our country, we don’t want them,” Trump said in a video statement.
