The National Guard shooting in Washington earlier this week brought the Biden-era “Operation Allies Welcome” back into the spotlight as an Afghan national faces a first-degree murder charge following the incident.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was taken into custody Wednesday after shots rang out just blocks away from the White House. Injured in the shooting, the suspect was hospitalized along with U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Beckstrom died on Thursday.
Lakanwal is also facing three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) confirmed that he previously worked with them and U.S. troops in Afghanistan during its 20-year war.
What is the program?
Lakanwal departed Afghanistan in 2021 under “Operation Allies Welcome,” a coordinated plan authorized by former President Biden to support Afghans that supported the U.S. during the 20-year war. The move, which followed the U.S. military’s withdrawal from the nation, was intended to provide refuge for those at risk following the Taliban’s takeover.
Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas at the time also established a Unified Coordination Group (UCG) for those who the government sought to resettle in the U.S.
DHS explained that it screened refugees with “biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals from the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and additional intelligence community partners prior to their arrival in the United States.”
Anyone who failed the security checks were not permitted to board a flight to the U.S. or to enter the country, according to the department.
“Planes taking off from Kabul are not flying directly to the United States. They’re landing at U.S. military bases and transit centers around the world,” Biden said during remarks from the White House in 2021. “At these sites where they are landing, we are conducting thorough … security screening for everyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. Anyone arriving in the United States will have undergone a background check.”
Mayorkas, in a video announcement, said the program included U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Afghan citizens who provided assistance, Special Immigrant Visa holders and “all other vulnerable Afghans, such as journalists and vulnerable women and girls.”
“We have a moral imperative to protect them, to support those who have supported this nation,” he added at the time, referring to vulnerable Afghans. “We have an obligation to do so in a way that protects our national security and preserves public safety.”
In September 2021, the former DHS chief vowed to welcome all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan and Afghans who helped the military to the United States.
Biden renews protections
Two years later, as Afghans settled in the U.S., Biden allowed refugees to renew their temporary protected status (TPS).
The evacuees under the program were granted protections through two years of humanitarian parole. The extension came after Congress failed to pass a bill giving roughly 80,000 Afghans a pathway to citizenship.
Republican lawmakers, including President Trump, condemned Biden’s quick withdrawal from Afghanistan and the refugee program. A House Foreign Affairs Committee report released last year accused the former president of rushing efforts, against counsel from allies and advisers, which led to the unnecessary deaths of 13 service members.
Trump halts Afghan protections, visas
The Trump administration in May formally lifted a shield on deportation for Afghans residing in the U.S. following the withdrawal. He argued that improving conditions in Afghanistan, even while under Taliban rule, meant the protections were no longer warranted.
Wednesday’s shooting boosted Trump’s immigration agenda, with many lawmakers calling for more restrictions.
The administration placed immigration from Afghanistan on an indefinite pause “pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Trump also ordered a review the cases of Afghans who entered the country under “Operation Allies Welcome” and following the withdrawal and the State Department halted all visas for the nation.
“We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” Trump said Wednesday from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “And we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
USCIS has also been instructed to reexamine green cards linked to 19 countries following the shooting.