U.S. immigration officials have arrested an Afghan national in Virginia who is accused of providing material support to ISIS-K, intensifying scrutiny over past Afghan admissions into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Jaan Shah Safi was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Waynesboro.
Safi’s arrest comes just days after a violent incident in Washington, D.C., where Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly opened fire, killing West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and injuring Air National Guard member Andrew Wolfe before being subdued and detained. The timing of the two cases has triggered renewed political debate and national security concerns.
DHS announced the arrest on X, stating that Safi had offered assistance to ISIS-K and supplied weapons to his father, who is reportedly a commander of a militia group in Afghanistan. Federal officials said Safi entered the U.S. on September 8, 2021, through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which was established to resettle Afghan nationals following the fall of Kabul. Safi later applied for Temporary Protected Status, but DHS said his application was terminated after the program was rolled back.
The department described Safi as an “illegal alien terrorist” and emphasised that his arrest occurred under the current administration’s directives. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the case illustrated ongoing national security risks, arguing that thousands of Afghans admitted under the 2021 evacuation were insufficiently vetted. She also noted that this was the third arrest of an Afghan national in less than a week involving terrorism-related allegations.
The statement added that officers acted only a short distance from the nation’s capital, where the National Guard members were shot days earlier. Officials reiterated that Operation Allies Welcome had enabled nearly 190,000 Afghans to enter the U.S., many of whom, they argue, were vetted only after arrival.
Safi’s arrest has further inflamed an already heated political divide over immigration, refugee processing, and national security protocols. As federal authorities continue their investigations, concerns are rising over how many similar cases may still be unaddressed and what reforms may follow as a result.
