Kristi Noem has been fact-checked after claiming that the National Guard shooting suspect arrived in the U.S. “unvetted” thanks to Joe Biden.
“The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration,” the Department of Homeland Security secretary, 53, wrote as part of a long post on X earlier this week.
The alleged shooter is 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who—despite Noem’s claims—is said to have been vetted on his arrival in 2021, and went on to have his asylum claim approved under Donald Trump.
Lakanwal was identified after his fingerprints were matched to those on his arrival in the U.S., following his departure from his native Afghanistan.
An insider familiar with his case told The Washington Post that Lakanwal was vetted before he began working with the CIA in Afghanistan, and then again when he fled his homeland for the U.S.
Under Operation Allies Welcome, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed at the time that all applicants were screened in a process involving the FBI, the CIA, and the National Counterterrorism Center.
Lakanwal came to the U.S. under Biden’s OAW parole, but he was only granted asylum this year.
According to ABC News, Lakanwal applied for asylum last year, with three law enforcement officers telling the outlet that his claim was approved in April 2025 under the Trump administration.
The claim that Joe Biden is responsible for refugees from Afghanistan having been allowed to come to the U.S. “unvetted” has become a MAGA rallying cry.
The same hour as Noem’s post, JD Vance similarly ranted: “I remember back in 2021 criticizing the Biden policy of opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees.
“Friends sent me messages calling me a racist. It was a clarifying moment. They shouldn’t have been in our country.”
The National Guard shooting occurred close to the White House, at the Farragut West Metro entrance, at around 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 26.
Two National Guard members were shot. 20-year-old guardsman Sarah Beckstrom died of her injuries a day later, while Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. The suspect was subdued and hospitalized for minor injuries.
Trump has now vowed to investigate all Afghan nationals who came to the U.S. as part of the OAW, and all immigration requests from Afghan nationals have been halted pending a security review.
