Afghan Nationals with Criminal Records Arrested After Biden-Era Operation
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently announced the arrest of multiple Afghan nationals with serious criminal convictions who were allowed into the United States during the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome. The Department of Homeland Security described the situation as “one of the worst and most complex national security crises in American history,” which the Trump administration has been actively addressing. The announcement comes in the wake of a troubling incident where an Afghan national, previously vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan, was charged with killing one National Guard member and wounding another in a November 26 ambush in Washington, D.C. In response to these security concerns, the Department of State has temporarily suspended all visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized the current administration’s commitment to identifying and apprehending potential threats, stating, “Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been going full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and criminal illegal aliens that came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs.” McLaughlin criticized the previous administration’s vetting process, claiming that when approximately 190,000 Afghan nationals were admitted to the U.S., proper criminal background checks and social media vetting were not conducted. Instead, she asserted that the process relied heavily on vouching systems rather than thorough investigation. “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We are working around the clock to get these public safety threats out of our country,” McLaughlin added, highlighting the urgency and priority of the current enforcement efforts.
Among those arrested was Qesmat Din Zafran, who entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Refuge and was arrested by ICE on August 29. His criminal record includes a conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under 16, raising serious questions about how someone with such a background was allowed into the country. Another arrestee, Mansour Walizada, who also entered in 2021 under the same operation, was apprehended on October 2 with a criminal history that included two convictions for sexual battery and an arrest for child fondling. These cases illustrate the nature of the security concerns that authorities are now addressing, with a particular focus on individuals who pose risks to vulnerable populations in the United States.
The list of arrested Afghan nationals continues with Mohammad Tabesh Rasoli, who entered the U.S. in September 2021 and was arrested on June 8. His criminal history includes a conviction for hit-and-run with serious bodily harm, with reports indicating that he struck a pedestrian at approximately 50 miles per hour. Similarly, Javid Ghamgeen, who entered under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021, was taken into custody by ICE from the Iowa Department of Corrections on May 8. His extensive criminal record includes convictions for multiple counts of methamphetamine possession, burglary, and aggravated assault against a public officer. These cases demonstrate the range of criminal activities that some of these individuals have been involved in, from drug offenses to violent crimes, further emphasizing the security implications of the vetting failures during the evacuation operations.
Perhaps most concerning are the cases of Asirullah Khalid-Khan and Said Mohammad Tanai, both of whom have histories of serious sexual offenses. Khalid-Khan, arrested on October 9, entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 and has a conviction for kidnapping and an arrest for rape. Tanai, who was arrested on July 21, entered under Operation Allies Refuge in 2021 and has been convicted of assault with intent to commit sex abuse. These disturbing cases highlight critical lapses in the screening process that allowed individuals with histories of violent sexual offenses to enter the country during a chaotic evacuation. They also underscore the ongoing challenges faced by immigration enforcement agencies in identifying and removing individuals who pose significant threats to public safety.
The current administration’s efforts to remedy these security issues reflect a broader reevaluation of immigration enforcement priorities and vetting procedures. By highlighting these arrests, DHS is emphasizing its commitment to public safety while also pointing to what it characterizes as systemic failures in the previous administration’s handling of Afghan evacuees. As the Department of State’s pause on Afghan passport visas indicates, there is now a more cautious approach to managing potential security risks associated with this population. The ongoing work to identify and remove individuals with criminal histories demonstrates the complex balance between humanitarian obligations and national security concerns that continues to shape U.S. immigration policy, particularly regarding those who entered during emergency evacuation operations from Afghanistan.
