Last week, two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot while on duty in Washington, D.C. The attacker was an Afghan national who arrived in the United States under the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome program. Specialist Beckstrom died from his injuries, and Staff Sergeant Wolfe remains hospitalized.
Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and President Pro Tempore, addressed the Senate on December 2, 2025, highlighting these events as evidence of failures in the vetting process for Afghan evacuees.
"May God Bless both of them. [My] prayers are with them and their families," Grassley said during his remarks.
Grassley also noted that another Afghan evacuee was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to bomb a building in Texas. He stated: "The terrorists entered our country as part of a program called 'Operation Allies Welcome' in the aftermath of the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan."
Since 2021, Grassley has voiced concerns about what he described as inadequate screening measures for Afghan evacuees brought to the United States following the withdrawal from Afghanistan. According to Grassley, senior officials have acknowledged security risks associated with some evacuees.
He recounted that Director of National Intelligence Gabbard informed his office that as of August 2022, "of the more than 100,000 Afghan evacuees – as of August 2022 – 1.6% had links to terrorism or other derogatory information." This figure would amount to over 1,600 individuals who could pose potential threats.
Grassley continued: "On July 8, 2025, I came to this Senate floor and urged the current FBI and Intelligence Community leadership to aggressively investigate evacuees."
In September 2025, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem told Grassley's office that thousands of Operation Allies Welcome parolees were still considered potential national security threats as recently as August 12, 2025.
"As we’ve tragically witnessed, the Biden administration’s failure to properly vet Afghan evacuees has serious consequences and probably consequences we haven’t seen, beyond the killing last week," said Grassley.
He expressed appreciation for oversight efforts during former President Trump's administration: "I think we should thank the Trump administration’s efforts, and I thank them for responding to my oversight requests and their efforts to fix the Biden administration’s failures."
Grassley concluded by pledging continued oversight on this issue.
