Exclusive | More than 5,000 Afghan migrants flagged on ‘national security’ grounds since 2021, document reveals
A recent DHS data set that the New York Post obtained shows more than five thousand Afghan refugees who arrived after the U.S. pulled its troops were flagged for “national security” concerns. In total, the federal government identified “potential derogatory information” on 6,868 people who entered under President Biden’s 2021 Operation Allies Welcome. Out of those, 5,005 were marked for national‑security issues, 956 for “public safety” concerns, and 876 for fraud, according to the figures.
The data was handed to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R‑Iowa)—chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee—after he pressed DHS in May 2024. While many of the red cards were cleared, security officials wrote that 885 individuals still carried potentially negative national‑security information that could pose a threat as of September.
The release followed a brutal ambush on two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. that week, which prompted President Trump to order a review of vetting procedures for migrants from 19 high‑risk countries and all asylum cases approved by the prior administration. The incident involved suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who has allegedly killed Guardswoman Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and left Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, seriously wounded.
Grassley has long asked the FBI and DHS to address obvious red flags in the program that brought more than 70,000 Afghans to the U.S. after the 2021 withdrawal. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem responded with a September 9 letter after the agency’s Inspector General reported challenges in screening, vetting, and inspecting all evacuees.
“I spent years calling attention to the weak vetting standards in Operation Allies Welcome, despite considerable pushback from the Biden administration and many of my colleagues in Congress,” Grassley told the Post. “Sadly, this past week’s tragedy in Washington only validates my concerns further. I appreciate the Trump administration’s efforts to respond to my oversight and restore order in the wake of the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the chaos that followed.”
An additional DHS IG report revealed a “fragmented process” for handling potential security risks in the evacuation program. Meanwhile, a Justice Department IG found that 55 people on a terror watch list still arrived at a U.S. port by May 2023, some of whom were added to the list while evacuation was proceeding.
“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 IG noted.
While drafting its findings, the IG office cited two Afghan nationals, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada, who were charged with an ISIS‑inspired plot to disrupt the 2024 elections in Oklahoma City. Tawhedi, who secured an U.S. visa in 2021, obtained two AK‑47s and 500 rounds of ammunition in 2024 and pleaded guilty to providing material support for ISIS, facing up to 35 years in prison; Zada, 19, received a 15‑year sentence. Tawhedi reportedly worked as a CIA security guard in his homeland, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated shortly after the November 26 Guard shooting that Lakanwal had served alongside the agency—“He should never have been allowed to come here.”
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the Post that the U.S. vetting process must place an analyst or agent on every case, examine it critically, and set clear objective criteria for disqualification.
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