CIA Director John Ratcliffe has been at the center of significant developments following the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House this week. On November 26, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, opened fire on the troops, killing 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically injuring 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe.
Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal had previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar during the Afghanistan War. The director stated that Lakanwal was permitted to enter the United States in 2021 based on that work, which concluded following the chaotic evacuation marking the American withdrawal from Afghanistan that year. However, Ratcliffe also made a striking claim, saying that Lakanwal should have never been allowed to come here, raising questions about the vetting process for Afghan resettlement.
This incident has prompted intense scrutiny of the Operation Allies Welcome program, which brought approximately 200,000 Afghans to the United States after the 2021 withdrawal. Security experts note that individuals like Lakanwal underwent extensive vetting before arrival, during resettlement, and throughout the asylum process. Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration in December and received approval in April of this year.
The shooting has triggered sweeping immigration policy changes. President Trump announced he would permanently pause migration from Third World countries and halt all processing of immigration requests from Afghan nationals. The CIA Director's statements have been cited by administration officials as justification for these measures, despite experts pointing out that Afghan allies who assisted American forces were among the most thoroughly vetted immigrants to enter the country.
Remarkably, just days before the DC shooting, another Afghan national brought to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome was arrested in Texas for posting a TikTok video allegedly showing bomb construction. This incident compounded concerns and accelerated the administration's immigration restrictions.
Ratcliffe's role in this situation highlights the complex intersection of national security, intelligence operations, and immigration policy. His confirmation that Lakanwal worked directly with the CIA while simultaneously asserting he should never have been admitted has become a focal point in broader debates about screening procedures and the vetting of Afghan allies.
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