Why the White House blames National Guard shooting on program that brought Afghan nationals to the U.S.
CBC
A Biden administration program that brought in thousands of Afghan nationals is being blamed by the Trump White House for the arrival of the man suspected of shooting two members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. on Sept. 8, 2021, through the program known as Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said on the night of the shooting.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, "as a member of a partner force in Kandahar."
Lakanwal applied for asylum during former U.S. President Joe Biden's term in office, but it was approved this April under the Trump administration.
Since the shooting, some Trump administration officials, including the president, have been blasting the program, saying it provided little or no security vetting for those who entered the U.S.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration said it had stopped processing immigration applications from Afghanistan.
"The Trump Administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration, which failed to vet these applicants on a massive scale,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, according to Reuters.
Here's a closer look at the program, its purpose, and questions raised about its vetting processes.
Leading up to the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, there was pressure from both Republicans and Democrats to help Afghan nationals who were allies of the U.S.
In August 2021, as the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, then U.S. president Joe Biden launched Operation Allies Welcome, a program meant to help Afghan nationals.
It was particularly aimed at interpreters and translators who had helped the U.S. during the war and feared reprisals from the Taliban regime.
Those who arrived in the U.S. were granted two years of humanitarian parole, which allows foreign nationals — who would otherwise be considered inadmissible — to temporarily enter the U.S. due to an emergency or "urgent humanitarian reason," according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.
They were expected to apply for asylum if they wished to remain in the U.S.
Afghans who arrived as part of OAW were processed at one of nine “safe havens” set up at government facilities around the United States and operated in part by resettlement agencies, according to the International Rescue Committee.
