Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem slammed the Biden administration for allowing Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspected murderer of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. last week, into the United States.
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24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains hospitalized, fighting for his life.
Lakanwal entered the United States under the Biden administration under Operation Allies Welcome, following the disastrous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which resulted in the death of 13 service members.
Lakanwal previously worked with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the U.S. war in Afghanistan and was granted asylum this April.
“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,” Noem stated in a Sunday morning interview with ABC News.
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“All the information that was gathered on that vetting process was gathered under the Biden administration. His asylum claim application started under the Biden administration. His asylum claim application started under the Biden administration. That information was provided by them, and the responsibility lies with them.”
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ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl pressed Noem further, asking: “You were simply relying on what had been done under the Biden administration? You did no vetting before granting him asylum?”
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“You need to remember that when this abandonment of Afghanistan happened, the Biden administration put people on airplanes, brought them to the United States without vetting them,” she asserted. “They brought them into our country and said they would vet them afterwards.”
Noem noted that U.S. authorities had no real way to further vet Lakanwal’s identity after the Afghan government collapsed, forcing the State Department to rely on the Biden administration’s data collection.
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“For these individuals, when they are brought into our country, it’s a dangerous situation,” Noem added. “If you don’t know who they are, if they are coming from a country that’s not stable and doesn’t have a government that can help you vet them, then we shouldn’t allow it.”
Additionally, Noem stated that she believes Lakanwal was “radicalized since he’s been here in this country.”
“We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members, who talk to them. So far we’ve had some participation.”
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