The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested Jaan Shah Safi, an Afghan national who entered the United States under Operation Allies Welcome and allegedly provided support to ISIS-K.
According to DHS, the arrest of Jaan Shah Safi marks the third case within a week involving Afghan nationals linked to terrorism who entered the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome. This 2021 Biden administration initiative resettled approximately 190,000 Afghans following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Safi’s arrest follows recent incidents in which two other Afghan entrants were accused of terror-related activity, including an ambush-style attack near the White House and a bomb threat in Texas. Secretary Kristi Noem said that these cases highlight ongoing national security concerns tied to insufficient vetting of Afghan entrants under the program.
Operation Allies Welcome, launched in August 2021, relocated roughly 88,500 Afghans into the U.S. by mid-2022. Officials later reported that more than 190,000 Afghan nationals were processed under humanitarian parole or refugee resettlement pathways. The vetting process was expedited and relied heavily on external referrals; subsequent reviews identified gaps in background verification.
A 2024 Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report found that more than 50 Afghans admitted through Operation Allies Welcome were flagged for potential security concerns after arrival, including alleged connections to extremist organizations. The report also noted inconsistent data sharing between federal agencies contributed to delayed threat identification.
The DHS, established in 2002 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., is responsible for safeguarding the United States from domestic and international threats. Through components such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, DHS oversees immigration enforcement, counterterrorism coordination, and disaster response nationwide.
