How thorough is America's refugee vetting system?
When an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly opened fire on D.C. National Guard members just blocks from the White House late last month, the political shock was immediate. Federal officials said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had passed routine background checks under the Biden administration before entering the United States and was ultimately granted asylum by the Trump team in April.
The incident raised a familiar question within the homeland security bureaucracy: whether America’s vetting system can reliably identify risks in an era of fragmented records, strained manpower, and surging arrivals.
So, how foolproof is America’s current vetting system?
