Over 5,000 Afghan nationals who were flagged for “national security” issues were allowed into the country under the Biden administration.
This revelation comes after an Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lankanwal allegedly shot two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., killing one and leaving the other in critical condition.
From The New York Post:
More than 5,000 Afghans brought to the US after American forces withdrew from the country got flagged for “national security” issues, Department of Homeland Security data obtained by The Post reveals.
In all, the feds uncovered “potential derogatory information” on a total of 6,868 people who came from Afghanistan as part of President Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
Of that number, 5,005 came up with a national security concern, while 956 people had “public safety” concerns and 876 were flagged for fraud, according to the data.
DHS provided the information to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, after he posed a series of questions to the Homeland Security Department in May 2024.
While various US agencies were able to resolve many of the red flags, as of September there were still 885 people with potentially negative national security information – posing a possible threat.
Following Wednesday’s shocking ambush of two National Guards members in Washington DC, President Trump ordered a review of security and vetting protocols for migrants from 19 “high-risk” countries, along with all asylum cases approved by the prior administration.
🚨AFGHANS ARE A SECURITY RISK FOR THE WORLD🚨
— Taymur Malik (@BlueMist911) November 30, 2025
Zabihullah Mohmand, an Afghan resettled in Montana, was charged with raping a teenage girl just days after his arrival.
Incidents like this show why Afghan refugee flows have become a major security threat for every country that… pic.twitter.com/wcCtZDYpCl
Lankarwal, 29, entered the United States in 2021 through the Operation Allies Welcome program. He previously worked with a CIA-backed Zero Unit that fought against the Taliban during the war in Afghanistan.
He later settled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. However, reports indicate that he struggled to adapt and faced mental health challenges. There is speculation that the shooting might have been motivated by radical Islamic extremism.
The findings about Afghan nationals were the result of President Donald Trump ordering a review of security and vetting procedures for migrants from 19 “high-risk” countries for asylum cases processed under the Biden administration.
The inspector general found that DHS “encountered obstacles to screen, vet and inspect all evacuess,” according to The New York Post. The report noted that 55 individuals on a terror watch list were able to enter the country by May 2023. Two of these people were charged for their connection to an ISIS-inspired plot to disrupt the 2024 elections in Oklahoma City.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said, “I spent years calling attention to the weak vetting standards in Operation Allies Welcome, despite considerable pushback from the Biden administration and many of my colleagues in Congress,” and, “Sadly, this past week’s tragedy in Washington only validates my concerns further.”