Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is escalating her criticism of Afghan refugee vetting under the Biden administration, arguing it left gaps. She says the suspect in last week’s National Guard shooting near the White House may have been radicalized after coming to the U.S.
Investigators say Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who once worked with U.S. forces, opened fire on two West Virginia Guard members on patrol in Washington. The shooting killed Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.
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In an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Noem argued the Biden administration’s vetting under Operation Allies Welcome was not sufficient.
“He was brought into the country by the Biden administration through Operation Allies Welcome. And then, maybe vetted after that, but not done well, based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden,” she said.
Noem added that officials now believe he “could have been radicalized in his home community and in his home state.”
Officials respond
But current and former officials familiar with the process say Afghans admitted under the program were screened overseas using biographic and biometric checks. A senior U.S. official told ABC News that Lakanwal later passed additional National Counterterrorism Center vetting before being granted asylum.
That asylum approval came earlier this year under the Trump administration, using information gathered during the Biden-era evacuation and resettlement.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen pushed back on Noem’s claims, saying there’s no evidence the system missed a known threat.
“We should always review our vetting, but in this case, there’s no evidence that there was something that escaped the vetting,” he said. He called it “outrageous and unfair” to punish “an entire class of people for the evil acts of one person.”
Van Hollen stressed that many Afghan evacuees “worked side by side with America in the fight against the Taliban.” He said they could be killed if forced to return.
Administration responds to shooting
In response to the shooting, the Trump administration has paused asylum decisions nationwide. It also ordered a new review of green card cases from 19 “countries of concern.”
Lakanwal remains hospitalized and is expected to face a first-degree murder charge once he is medically cleared.
