WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said this week they have detained multiple foreign nationals who arrived in the United States during the chaotic 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan and who now face a range of criminal and terrorism-related allegations.
Agency officials said the arrests include people with prior convictions for sexual battery and lewd acts with a minor, suspects accused of child fondling, and at least one individual accused of providing support to an extremist group. DHS and ICE framed the round of detentions as a response to what they described as gaps in the expedited vetting used during the evacuation and related parole programs in 2021.
The arrests come amid continuing scrutiny of how U.S. agencies handled the fast-moving evacuations in 2021. Homeland and immigration officials noted the operational tradeoffs made to process large numbers of evacuees quickly while under severe time and security pressure. The enforcement action and the broader debate touch on issues of border integrity, public safety and agency accountability covered in our Border Coverage.
Background
Officials released the list of recent arrests days after two high-profile cases drew renewed attention to the evacuation-era intake: one former evacuee was accused of killing a member of the West Virginia National Guard, and another was arrested in an alleged terror plot in Delaware. The Delaware case involved a 25-year-old University of Delaware student who was taken into custody after a traffic stop in which officers said they found a handgun, multiple magazines, an armored ballistic plate and a notebook with notes describing how an attack could be carried out.
The enforcement announcements echoed earlier warnings from some lawmakers and law enforcement officials that the expedited procedures used during emergency evacuations carried risk. Authorities said the wider effort is aimed at identifying and removing those they call known or suspected terrorists and other criminal foreign nationals who entered under evacuation and parole programs, according to local reports.
Details From Officials and Records
DHS and ICE released names and criminal histories for several people they said were detained in recent weeks. Among those listed were:
- Qesmat Din Zafran, identified by officials as an evacuee apprehended with convictions for lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.
- Mansour Walizada, described as an Operation Allies Refuge participant with convictions for sexual battery and an arrest on an alleged child-fondling charge.
- Mohammad Tabesh Rasoli, arrested by ICE and identified as having a conviction in a hit-and-run case that seriously injured a pedestrian, officials said.
- Javid Ghamgheen, whose record included convictions for methamphetamine possession, burglary and assault on a public officer; Iowa authorities honored a transfer request, officials said.
- Asirullah Khalid-Khan and Said Mohammad Tanai, both described by the agency as having prior convictions for sexual offenses, with one case also involving a kidnapping conviction and the other alleging assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.
- Jaan Shah Safi, arrested in Waynesboro, Virginia, on allegations of providing support to the Khorasan group, which officials identified as an ISIS-affiliated organization. DHS said Safi applied for Temporary Protected Status after his arrival and that the department later terminated that status.
- Ziaulhaq Faqiri, an Iraqi national who entered the United States under a special immigrant program and whose record includes convictions for carnal abuse and sexual assault, was also detained, ICE said.
In the Delaware incident, police said officers found the weapons and a notebook during a traffic stop of Luqmaan Khan, 25. Authorities described some of the written material as outlining targets and tactics; the case is being investigated by local and federal law enforcement, officials said.
Reactions and Next Steps
DHS and ICE said the enforcement work is ongoing and is part of daily operations to locate, detain and remove criminal foreign nationals. Officials blamed shortcuts in the 2021 intake for allowing people with criminal histories or extremist ties to enter or remain in the country.
Some cases are being handled in state courts as criminal prosecutions, while others are proceeding through immigration detention and removal processes under federal law. That dual-track system means timing and outcomes can vary widely depending on local prosecutions, evidentiary standards and immigration hearings.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sought answers about how vetting was conducted during the evacuation and whether additional congressional oversight or policy changes are needed. Oversight questions focus on who authorized expedited procedures, what checks were omitted or truncated, and what records were kept. DHS and other agencies have faced multiple post-evacuation reviews, including internal inspections and requests for briefings from Congress.
Officials also emphasized law enforcement cooperation. Federal, state and local agencies—including ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and local police—have participated in arrests, prosecutions and transfers. DHS and ICE said they will continue to pursue cases that pose a national security or public safety risk.
Analysis
The recent detentions highlight the policy and operational tension between responding to urgent humanitarian crises and maintaining robust national security screening. Emergency evacuations in 2021 required rapid decisions that, officials say, sometimes limited the time available for full background checks, social media reviews and interagency information sharing.
For governance and accountability, the central questions are whether agencies followed lawful authorities and whether officials adequately documented decisions that reduced vetting steps. Those records matter for congressional oversight and for any inspector general or Government Accountability Office reviews that may follow.
From a public safety and border integrity perspective, the mixed set of criminal and alleged terrorism cases points to the need for clearer protocols on vetting, long-term monitoring and information sharing between immigration, intelligence and local law enforcement. At the same time, policymakers must weigh those measures against the need to preserve the capacity to respond quickly in future humanitarian emergencies.
Practical reforms likely to feature in debates include expanded interagency data sharing, consistent standards for expedited vetting during emergencies, and improved resourcing for immigration courts and prosecutors to handle complex cases. The arrests are likely to intensify scrutiny of the decisions made during the evacuation and to shape discussions about how the United States balances humanitarian responsibilities with national security and rule-of-law obligations.
