What was ‘Operation Allies Welcome,’ which allowed some Afghans entry into the U.S.?

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan man suspected of capturing two Nationwide Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, was within the U.S. after getting into the nation in 2021 beneath a program known as Operation Allies Welcome. His motives are nonetheless unknown.

This is a have a look at why this system was arrange and the way Afghans who entered the U.S. had been vetted.

The origins of Operation Allies Welcome

When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021 there have been chaotic scenes as 1000’s of Afghans rushed to the airport determined to flee. The world watched in horror as some amongst them had been crushed to demise within the crowds making an attempt to flee.

The U.S. exit from Afghanistan occurred throughout former President Joe Biden’s time period, but it surely was set in movement by the primary Trump administration, which signed a cope with the Taliban in 2020 to withdraw after 20 years within the nation.

On saying the tip of the battle on Aug. 31, 2021, Biden hailed the U.S. evacuation of Afghans as unprecedented and vowed to proceed to help these beneath risk.

“As for the Afghans, we and our partners have airlifted 100,000 of them,” he stated in an tackle. “We will continue to work to help more people leave the country who are at risk. And we’re far from done.”

Two days earlier than this tackle he had instructed the Division of Homeland Safety to “lead and coordinate ongoing efforts across the federal government to support vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades, as they safely resettle in the United States.”

These efforts had been known as Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). This system was set as much as permit Afghans — particularly those that may be focused by the Taliban for having labored with allied forces of their 20 years in Afghanistan — to enter the U.S. for 2 years on parole with out everlasting immigration standing. They had been anticipated to then apply for different means to remain within the nation, like asylum.

About 40% of those that got here had been eligible for Particular Immigrant Visas due to the nice dangers they took to assist the U.S., or had been a member of the family of somebody who helped the U.S., based on the Division of Homeland Safety.

OAW was in place for about one 12 months after which shifted to a longer-term program known as Operation Enduring Welcome. Virtually 200,000 Afghans resettled within the U.S. beneath each packages.

How had been they vetted?

DHS stated the Afghans underwent “rigorous” vetting to make sure they didn’t pose a nationwide safety risk. Some 400 personnel throughout U.S. companies performed the checks which concerned “biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals,” the company stated.

On this Aug. 22, 2021, file photograph offered by the U.S. Air Drive, Afghan passengers board a U.S. Air Drive C-17 Globemaster III through the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai Worldwide Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

MSgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Drive/AP

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MSgt. Donald R. Allen/U.S. Air Drive/AP

“This process includes reviewing fingerprints, photos, and other biometric and biographic data for every single Afghan before they are cleared to travel to the United States,” it stated.

After arriving within the U.S. the Afghans had been additional processed at U.S. navy bases earlier than being allowed into the neighborhood.

Nonetheless, this system did come beneath some criticism from Republicans who stated the Afghans weren’t all correctly vetted. In 2024, the DHS Workplace of Inspector Basic launched a report which admitted to some failings, together with information inaccuracies in a few of the recordsdata of Afghans who got here by this system.

One other report was launched in June this 12 months by the Division of Justice taking a look at the FBI’s position in OAW.

“According to the FBI, the need to immediately evacuate Afghans overtook the normal processes required to determine whether individuals attempting to enter the United States pose a threat to national security, which increased the risk that bad actors could try to exploit the expedited evacuation,” the report stated.

It famous 55 people evacuated from Afghanistan beneath OAW had been later recognized on terrorism watch lists. For essentially the most half although, the report concluded the FBI had carried out job flagging potential threats and nearly all of evacuees weren’t thought-about safety dangers.

What is the scenario for Afghans now?

After Wednesday’s capturing of the Nationwide Guard members, President Trump railed in opposition to OAW on social media, saying: “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”

CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated “the Biden Administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA.”

Shortly after the shootings, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers introduced it had stopped processing immigration functions from Afghan nationals.

However tens of 1000’s of Afghans are already in limbo. All over the world, over 40,000 Afghans are nonetheless actively pursuing resettlement within the U.S., with greater than 10,000 permitted to relocate by the U.S. authorities.

A whole bunch of veterans have urged the administration to not abandon those that fought alongside the People through the battle.