A federal watchdog report found that former President Joe Biden's Operation Allies Welcome program, which brought tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees into the United States in 2021, suffered from major breakdowns in recordkeeping and oversight.
The findings resurfaced Thursday after authorities confirmed that the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., had entered the country through the program.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General determined in a report published last year that the systems used to document Afghan arrivals contained widespread data errors.
Investigators found that many evacuees were assigned multiple identification numbers or had their names recorded incorrectly.
The report warned that the inaccuracies made it difficult for immigration officials to confirm biographical details or check criminal-history information, undermining the integrity of screening procedures.
The watchdog also found that once parolees were inside the United States, DHS had no coordinated process to track when their temporary parole terms expired.
Officials at Customs and Border Protection, Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement each said they did not believe monitoring parole end dates was their responsibility.
The report concluded that the lack of oversight left the government unable to ensure proper follow-up for thousands of evacuees.
The issue drew renewed attention after officials identified Rahmanullah Lakamal, 29, as the suspect accused of shooting two newly sworn-in West Virginia National Guard soldiers near the White House on Wednesday.
Lakamal entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, applied for asylum in December 2024, and was approved in April 2025. A Trump administration official said he had no known criminal history.
Operation Allies Welcome was established to assist Afghans who supported American forces during the war and feared reprisals after the Taliban seized control following the U.S. withdrawal.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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