Federal and state officials are drawing connections between two separate criminal cases involving Afghan nationals who entered the United States under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program. The incidents — one a deadly shooting in the nation’s capital, the other an alleged bomb threat in Texas — occurred just one day apart and have prompted renewed scrutiny of vetting procedures for recent arrivals from Afghanistan.
On November 26, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwa allegedly shot two National Guard service members in Washington, D.C. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuries on November 28, while U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remained in critical condition as of the latest update.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released new guidance related to refugee resettlement from 19 “high-risk countries,” including Afghanistan. According to the agency, the updated policy allows adjudicators to consider additional security-related factors in vetting applicants, including “negative, country-specific factors.” USCIS also announced on November 26 that it had indefinitely halted the processing of all immigration requests from Afghanistan, a decision the agency framed as a precautionary security measure.
The Washington incident came just one day after a separate arrest in Texas. On November 25, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) apprehended Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, who allegedly posted a TikTok video claiming he was building a bomb intended for use in the Fort Worth area. According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Alokozay was charged with making terroristic threats, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer.
McLaughlin stated that Alokozay had been admitted into the United States under the Operation Allies Welcome program — the same program that facilitated Lakanwa’s entry. Created in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the initiative was designed to resettle Afghans deemed especially vulnerable after the Taliban takeover.
The two incidents have intensified political criticism of the program. In a post on X, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The magnitude of the national security crisis Joe Biden unleashed on our country over the span of four years cannot be overstated. President Trump has directed his entire team to continue rooting out this evil within our borders.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also reacted publicly, confirming that Texas DPS coordinated with federal agencies in Alokozay’s arrest. “The Texas Department of Public Safety joined with DHS + other federal and local agencies to help arrest the Afghan national who made this terrorist threat,” Abbott wrote. “We collaborate daily to monitor and arrest criminals like this.”
