What is Operation Allies Welcome, the program linked to the D.C. shooting suspect?
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U.S. Military Police walk past Afghan refugees at the Village at the Ft. McCoy U.S. Army base on Sept. 30, 2021, in Ft. McCoy, Wis. Photo: Barbara Davidson/Getty Images
The suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members from West Virginia arrived in the U.S. under "Operation Allies Welcome," a program that supported vulnerable Afghan nationals, officials said Wednesday.
The big picture: The administration swiftly suspended immigration applications for Afghan nationals, with President Trump calling for a re-examination of every person who had entered the U.S. from Afghanistan under former President Biden.
Catch up quick: Trump said in an address that the two Guard members were "shot at point-blank range" in the Wednesday afternoon attack.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Wednesday night that the suspected shooter entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome in September 2021.
Context: "Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols," U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Wednesday on X.
- The impact of such a probe on the tens of thousands who entered the country under Operation Allies Welcome, and the subsequent "Enduring Welcome" program, remains unclear.
- The Trump administration previously ended deportation protections for Afghan refugees.
Read on for more about the suspect and the program through which he entered the U.S.
What were the suspect's ties to U.S. forces?
The alleged shooter had previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a "partner force" in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, agency director John Ratcliffe told Axios in a statement.
- Afghans who worked under CIA command served alongside Americans during the war and played key roles in helping U.S. forces evacuate.
- Multiple outlets reported that the suspect applied for asylum last year and was granted it this year under the Trump administration.
State of play: The 29-year-old suspect was shot, but his wounds are not believed to be life-threatening, the AP reported.
Yes, but: Ratcliffe said the suspect "should have never been allowed to come here."
Friction point:Afghan partners have faced legal uncertainty in the years since the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal .
- Shawn VanDiver, the president of #AfghanEvac, said in a statement that the coalition supporting Afghan nationals "fully supports the perpetrator facing full accountability."
- But he warned not "to demonize the Afghan community for the deranged choice this person made." He said that Afghan immigrants who resettle in the U.S. experience "some of the most extensive security vetting of any population."
How did Operation Allies Welcome help vulnerable Afghan nationals?
Homeland Security under Biden described the program as an "all-of-government effort" to resettle vulnerable Afghan nationals, including those who worked on behalf of the U.S. over some two decades.
- Most of those who arrived under Operation Allies Welcome were granted parole for a period of two years, which was conditioned on required screening and vetting, according to DHS.
- More than 40% were eligible for Special Immigrant Visas because of the "significant risks" they took to safeguard military members and civilians in Afghanistan.
- The State Department estimated that some 190,000 Afghans resettled in the U.S. after August 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and Enduring Welcome.
Zoom in: The Department of Defense provided temporary housing and support on military bases in America, per U.S. Northern Command.
- Those DOD "Safe Havens" supported thousands of evacuees.
How was Operation Allies Welcome received?
The program was lauded as an important initiative, but it came under GOP scrutiny.
- House Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) in 2023 called for increased transparency into the vetting of Afghan nationals relocated to the U.S. in the wake of the "chaos and disarray of the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan."
Yes, but: Former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the Afghan nationals strengthened the country through their contributions.
- "The Afghan newcomers contribute to our economy, support their families, and enrich the cultural fabric of our society," he said at the program's two-year anniversary in 2023.
Go deeper: Suspect in National Guard shooting near White House had helped CIA
