Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Nov 30: Former US soldier Ahmad Shah Mohibi has strongly criticised the Trump administration’s sweeping clampdown on Afghan immigrants following the Washington, DC shooting carried out by Afghan-origin suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Mohibi argued that Afghanistan is being unfairly blamed and insisted that “the country itself is not the problem.”
Mohibi explained that the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programme was originally designed exclusively for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters and translators who assisted US forces. However, over time it expanded beyond its intended scope. He pointed out that contrary to assumptions, Lakanwal did not enter the US through the SIV route.
Lakanwal arrived under Operation Allies Welcome, launched by US President Joe Biden after the 2021 withdrawal and the Taliban’s takeover. The programme aimed to protect vulnerable Afghans fleeing persecution. Lakanwal, who had earlier worked with the CIA, later applied for refugee status in 2024 and received approval earlier this year under the Trump administration.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, President Donald Trump ordered a halt to all Green Card processing for Afghan nationals, describing Afghanistan as a “hellhole”. He also directed a sweeping review of immigrants from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and others.
Mohibi condemned the broad-brush targeting of Afghans.
“My point is just because he (Lakanwal) grabbed a gun and shot our soldiers does not mean the whole Afghan population is terrorists and everyone has to be penalised,” he said. He added that the chaotic 2021 evacuation created long-term weaknesses in the system, saying “US soldiers opened gates for all Afghans,” which he believes contributed to current challenges.
He argued that even the strictest methods would fail to fix what he described as a broken immigration system.
“ICE can go house to house, but even 10 Donald Trumps won’t be able to solve this problem because there is an immigration failure,” Mohibi said.
He blamed decades of bipartisan mismanagement for the crisis.
“Immigration in this country is not a Republican or Democratic problem. It is a broader systematic problem, and none of the presidents from Bush to Trump have any clue how to tackle immigration,” he remarked.
Afghan-American advocacy groups echoed his concerns.
According to AP, Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based AfghanEvac, warned that the administration was using a single violent incident to justify long-standing policy goals.
“They are using a single violent individual as cover for a policy they have long planned, turning their own intelligence failures into an excuse to punish an entire community and the veterans who served alongside them,” he said.
The controversy continues to fuel the wider debate over US immigration policy and the treatment of Afghan refugees who assisted American forces during decades of conflict.