U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R) has sharply criticized the Biden administration's handling of federal parole programs, arguing that the broad use of humanitarian parole has directly endangered Americans.
His remarks centered on the recent ambush in Washington, D.C., where two National Guard soldiers were shot by an Afghan national paroled into the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome.
"The man who committed this crime was a 29-year-old Afghan national by he name of Rahmanullah Lakanwal," said Cornyn. "The Biden administration paroled him into the United States in 2021, as part of Operation Allies Welcome. He was not the recipient of any Special Immigrant Visa."
Cornyn stressed that parole authority is meant to be applied sparingly. "Parole is a provision under the United States law that allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to allow certain aliens...on a case-by-case basis," he said. "This shooter was not admitted to the United States as a result of any legislation that Congress passed."
Parole is a provision under U.S. law that allows the @DHSgov Secretary discretion to permit certain aliens into the country on what should be a case-by-case basis. The Afghan terrorists in the news were not admitted to the U.S. as a result of any lawful immigrant visa program or…
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) December 3, 2025
He argued that the administration's sweeping use of parole, including the policy that allowed the D.C. shooter into the country, was "illegitimate."
Cornyn noted that he and Judiciary Committee colleagues warned DHS in 2024 about inadequate vetting within Operation Allies Welcome, stating, "We sent this letter... because of our concern that another foreign extremist might make their way into our country via this parole process."
The Senator praised President Trump's decision to freeze asylum and visa processing for Afghan nationals.
"We simply cannot ignore the importance of thoroughly vetting each and every person who enters our country," Cornyn said.
Cornyn argues that the incident underscores fundamental failures in the former administration's parole system and the need for immediate reforms.
