Hundreds of former Taliban government workers were greenlit to resettle in the United States under a Biden administration policy that’s raising more than a few eyebrows, as Just the News reports.
In a nutshell, this controversial exemption, rolled out in June 2022, allowed certain Afghan refugees, including low-level “civil servants” who worked under the Taliban, to bypass terrorism-related barriers and make a new home in America.
Let’s rewind to August 2021, when the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan left Kabul in Taliban hands after a swift takeover following the U.S. troop pullout directive issued earlier that year.
Tens of thousands of Afghans were airlifted out of Hamid Karzai International Airport during a frenzied non-combatant evacuation operation, but watchdog reports and witness accounts have since slammed the vetting process as riddled with serious flaws.
Critics argue this lack of oversight during the evacuation set a shaky foundation for who was allowed to board those planes, leaving many questioning how thoroughly backgrounds were checked amidst the chaos.
Fast forward to June 2022, and the Department of Homeland Security, alongside the State Department, announced exemptions to terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds, opening the door for hundreds of Afghans previously barred due to their Taliban ties.
These exemptions targeted specific groups, like Afghans who served as “civil servants” under the Taliban during two distinct periods -- before the 9/11 attacks and after the 2021 takeover -- as well as those who supported U.S. military interests against the Taliban or Soviet forces.
We’re talking roles like teachers, doctors, engineers, and postal workers, not high-ranking operatives or ideologues who actively backed the Taliban’s violent agenda or held influential positions in certain ministries.
The policy explicitly excludes anyone who shared the Taliban’s goals, provided preferential treatment, or directly aided their violent activities, aiming to draw a line between benign bureaucrats and true threats.
According to a DHS report to Congress for fiscal year 2024, a staggering 6,848 exemptions were granted under this policy, with 6,653 of those for refugees. It's a sharp spike from just 603 in 2022 and a mere 191 in 2021.
Breaking it down, 374 exemptions went to “civil servants,” 29 to Afghan allies who backed U.S. interests, and over 3,000 to those who provided limited support to designated terror groups, often under duress as per prior authorities.
Former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended the move, saying, “Doctors, teachers, engineers, and other Afghans, including those who bravely supported U.S. forces, should not be denied humanitarian protection due to their proximity to war.” But let’s be real -- while the sentiment sounds noble, the idea of fast-tracking folks tied to a regime like the Taliban makes many Americans uneasy about where the line is drawn.
Adding fuel to the fire, consider the case of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national and former member of a CIA-backed Afghan unit, charged with a deadly attack on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House just before Thanksgiving 2025.
Lakanwal, who aided in securing the Kabul airport during the 2021 evacuation and arrived in the U.S. shortly after, allegedly killed one Guardsman and critically wounded another, underscoring fears about vetting gaps in these resettlement programs. While he has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges, the incident has reignited debates over whether such broad exemptions risk national security for the sake of humanitarian goals.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously insisted during his tenure, “We remain committed to our Afghan allies and processing Special Immigrant Visa applications as expeditiously as possible, while always protecting our national security.” Yet, with stories like Lakanwal’s making headlines, one has to wonder if “expeditious” processing left dangerous loopholes wide open for exploitation.
