Wall Street Journal (WSJ) The editors rushed to the defense of Afghan refugees in the article published on Thursday, saying they “should not be blamed for one man's violent act.”
On Wednesday, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan citizen who came in the US as part of former President Joe Biden's Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 following the failed troop withdrawal from Afghanistan – allegedly opened fire on two National Guardsmen stationed in Washington, DC. After the attack, President Donald Trump announced that his administration would “rescreen every foreigner who comes into our country from Afghanistan” under Biden. Following Trump's remarks, USCIS announced it would indefinitely halt immigration requests from Afghan nationals “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
WSJ The editorial warned of “collective punishment” following the attack.
“President Trump immediately linked the shooting to Joe Biden's fiasco in Afghanistan, and officials were quick to condemn the lack of adequate vetting during the 2021 evacuation. When and how the shooter was allowed entry will become clearer, and no doubt an orderly exit would allow for a more thorough investigation. This is yet another cost of the Biden administration's failure in Afghanistan,” the panel wrote.
“But even careful scrutiny is imperfect, and Rahmanullah Lakanwal may have become radicalized in the US. This has even been known to happen to refugee children growing up in America,” they continued:
Some will say that this means the US should never accept such refugees, but the alternative is to abandon allies who help Americans in war in favor of retribution from our enemies. The fate of Afghan men and women who worked with the United States was often brutal. You can be sure that Americans will fight again overseas, and our troops will need allies on the ground to succeed. How many people will help us if they believe that they will have no way out if the US leaves with the enemy victorious?
The council concluded by stating that “it would be a shame if this single act of betrayal became the justification for the deportation of all Afghan refugees to the United States.”
“Tens of thousands of people are building new lives here in peace and contributing to their communities,” they wrote. “They cannot be blamed for the violent act of one man. Collectively punishing all Afghans in the United States will not make America safer and could further embitter the United States.”
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Portrayed by Breitbart's John Binder reported, Whistleblowers and inspectors general have repeatedly told Congress that the Biden administration has not properly vetted the Afghans it has dispersed into American communities.
In 2022 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) published bombshell report detailing how the Biden administration imported Afghans who were “not fully vetted” and could “pose a national security threat.”
In February 2022, the DOD IG report disclosed that Biden's agencies failed to properly vet Afghans who arrived in the US and that about 50 Afghans were flagged as having “serious security concerns” after their resettlement.
