Biden admin brought over 120,000 Afghans 'swiftly and safely' into US following botched withdrawal in 2021

In 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under former President Joe Biden promised to “swiftly and safely” resettle Afghan allies fleeing the Taliban takeover following the administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Now, the national spotlight is back on those comments after it was revealed that the alleged shooter of two National Guardsmen, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the US under that resettlement effort.

DHS and FBI sources confirmed that the 29-year-old, who was living in Bellingham, Washington, and allegedly targeted the National Guardsmen in Washington, DC, arrived in the US in September 2021 under humanitarian parole via Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s program created to process and relocate Afghans following the withdrawal from Kabul.

According to Fox News, the status granted to Lakanwal allowed him to legally remain in the US, and authorities are now investigating whether the attack, which unfolded just blocks from the White House, was terrorism.

In the aftermath of the chaotic withdrawal and collapse of Afghanistan’s US-backed government, the Biden administration oversaw emergency evacuations. In September 2021, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that over 120,000 people had been airlifted out of Afghanistan within weeks, with nearly 800 aircraft conducting evacuation flights over 17 days in August. At the time, Mayorkas claimed that the US government was vetting evacuees and had denied entry to individuals for “derogatory” information uncovered in security screenings.

On Wednesday, following the shooting, Lakanwal was arrested at the scene, and FBI officials confirmed that two West Virginia National Guardsmen remain in critical condition after being shot in the head in what law enforcement officials described as a targeted attack.

President Biden was slammed on social media after details of the suspect’s immigration history became public, for posting on X that he and his wife Jill were “heartbroken,” adding, “We are praying for the service members and their families.”

After Lakanwal’s immigration status was revealed, President Donald Trump said Wednesday night that Biden was “a disastrous president” and criticized the previous administration for the rapid processing of Afghan evacuees during the withdrawal. Trump said that his predecessor’s government did not sufficiently vet individuals arriving on “those infamous flights,” adding, “Nobody knew who was coming in.”

Trump also criticized Biden’s use of humanitarian parole, stating that Lakanwal’s status “was extended under legislation signed under President Biden.” He called for the government to “reexamine every single alien who has entered our country under Biden.”