WASHINGTON – Following recent concerns over national security related to the influx of Afghans resettled after the U.S. withdrawal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested an Afghan man Wednesday in Virginia.
Jaan Shah Safi was apprehended near Waynesboro, Va., under suspicion of providing material support to ISIS-K and having ties to his father, a militia commander in Afghanistan according to DHS officials.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem commented on the arrest, stating it underscores the risks associated with Operation Allies Welcome. “Today, our heroic ICE officers arrested Jaan Shah Safi, a terrorist who provided material support to ISIS-K,” she said. She further described the program as allowing individuals into the U.S., many of whom were unvetted and potentially dangerous.
The arrest occurred just miles from where two National Guard members, Sarah Beckstrom (20) and Andrew Wolfe (24), were shot by another suspected Afghan terrorist days earlier near Washington D.C. This was a tragic event that highlighted vulnerabilities exploited by the federal program launched post-withdrawal.
While Operation Allies Welcome aimed to assist vulnerable Afghans transitioning after decades of conflict, the DHS noted Safi initially sought temporary protected status in the U.S., but his situation changed dramatically following the termination of TPS for Afghanistan. This move was effective from mid-July this year.
This incident is not isolated; another arrest took place shortly after, when an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force suspect in Fort Worth, Texas, apprehended under Operation Allies Welcome, named Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, faced charges related to bomb threats elsewhere.
