Trump's statement about the shooter: "Based on the best available information the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan… He was flown in by the Biden Administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about... His status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden."

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DW Fact check: True In his statement, Donald Trump cited DHS information indicating that the suspect entered the US during Biden's presidency, but he omitted the fact that his own administration had previously granted asylum to the Afghan suspect. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, posted on X that the suspect was "one of the many unvetted, mass-paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration." Her message was also published as an official statement on the DHS website. A relative of the suspect, speaking to NBC News, confirmed his entry into the US in September 2021 and stated that he served in the Afghan army for 10 years alongside US Special Forces troops. CIA Director John Ratcliffe also confirmed in an interview with Fox News Digital that the Afghan national had worked with various government entities in the past "as a member of a partner force in Kandahar" and claimed the Biden administration had "justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government." Indeed, the Operation Allies Welcome was launched by the DHS on August 29, 2021, under Biden's government. The goal of the operation was to resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those who assisted US efforts in Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of American troops from the country. Among them was the suspect of the shooting. However, several US media outlets (e.g.CNN) have reported, based on "law enforcement sources," that the Afghan individual applied for asylum in 2024 and it was granted in April 2025 under the Trump administration. DW Fact check has not been able to verify this information independently. Most Afghans admitted under the program initially received two-year humanitarian parole, which would have expired in 2023. As of publication, DHS has not confirmed details about the suspect's status at the time of his asylum application, despite inquiries by DW Fact check.

Reviewed by Deutsche Welle ↗ · November 28, 2025