WASHINGTON, Nov 27 (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Thursday blamed Biden-era vetting failures for the admission of an Afghan immigrant suspected of capturing two Nationwide Guard members in Washington, D.C., however the alleged gunman was granted asylum this 12 months beneath President Donald Trump, in accordance with a U.S. authorities file seen by Reuters.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan nationwide, entered the U.S. on September 8, 2021, beneath Operation Allies Welcome. The resettlement program was arrange by former Democratic President Joe Biden after the U.S. navy withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 that led to the speedy collapse of the Afghan authorities and the nation’s takeover by the Taliban.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Lawyer for the District of Columbia, each Trump appointees, stated throughout a press convention on Thursday that the Biden administration had did not conduct ample background checks or vetting on Lakanwal earlier than permitting him to enter the U.S. in 2021.
Neither official offered any proof to assist their assertion.
Andrew Leyden by way of Getty Photographs
Patel stated Lakanwal, who had labored with U.S. authorities forces through the U.S. battle in Afghanistan, was improperly allowed to enter the U.S. as a result of “the prior administration made the decision to allow thousands of people into this country without doing a single piece of background checking or vetting.”
This system, which allowed greater than 70,000 Afghan nationals into the U.S., in accordance with a congressional report, was designed with vetting procedures, together with by U.S. counter-terrorism and intelligence companies. However the large-scale and rushed nature of the evacuations led critics to say the background checks have been inefficient.
AFGHAN SUSPECT HAD WORKED WITH CIA
Below the Operation Allies Welcome program, Afghans evacuated to the U.S. have been granted a two-year “parole” that allowed them to stay and work legally after which apply for a extra everlasting standing.
The doc reviewed by Reuters stated Lakanwal utilized for asylum in December 2024 and was authorised on April 23 of this 12 months, three months after Trump took workplace. Lakanwal, 29, who resided in Washington state, had no identified prison historical past, the official stated.
The federal government file on Lakanwal stated he had been vetted by the U.S. due to his work with U.S. authorities companions through the battle in Afghanistan, and no doubtlessly disqualifying info had been discovered.
“This animal would’ve never been here if not for Joe Biden’s dangerous policies which allowed countless unvetted criminals to invade our country and harm the American people,” stated Abigail Jackson, a White Home spokeswoman.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated in an announcement that Lakanwal had labored with CIA-backed native models in Afghanistan.
“The Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” Ratcliffe stated. “This individual – and so many others – should have never been allowed to come here.”
The capturing of U.S. troops on American soil by an immigrant is prone to reverberate throughout the American political panorama. Trump has already ordered the deployment of 500 extra troops to Washington.
Whereas Lakanwal was within the nation legally, the incident performs instantly into Trump’s narrative on immigration. He has made cracking down on each authorized and unlawful immigration a centerpiece of his presidency, and this case might give him a gap to broaden the talk past legality to incorporate nearer scrutiny of the vetting of immigrants.
In a video message posted by the White Home on Wednesday, Trump referred to as Lakanwal an “animal” and the shootings “an act of terror.”
Trump referred to as for a “re-examination” of all Afghan nationals who entered the U.S. through the Biden administration. All immigration purposes by Afghan nationals have been suspended by the Trump administration on Wednesday night time.
U.S. Division of Homeland Safety spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated in an announcement that the Trump administration would evaluation all Biden-era asylum instances, increasing on a evaluation of Biden-era refugees reported by Reuters earlier this week.
A supply accustomed to the matter stated the suspension included purposes by Afghans who had labored with the CIA.
The assault has additionally revived Trump administration criticism of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The withdrawal led to a collapse of the Afghan authorities that was a lot faster than anticipated. The evacuation of 1000’s of Afghans fueled issues by Republicans that potential terrorists might sneak into the U.S.
(Reporting by Tim Reid and Ted Hesson, extra reporting by Erin Banco and Jana Winter; enhancing by Ross Colvin and Nia Williams)
