A shooting suspect originally from Afghanistan who was behind the deadly gunfire that erupted near the White House on Wednesday has ignited a debate in Washington about how refugees and evacuees are vetted before entering the United States.
On Sunday, Chris Van Hollen, a U.S. senator from Maryland, told ABC News that in the case of the suspect, there is “no evidence” that any vetting system failed.
The accused came to the U.S. under a resettlement program for Afghans who assisted American forces in the war in Afghanistan. He later gained asylum — under the current administration.
Critics of the resettlement effort — including officials in the current administration — argue the chaos of evacuation and the large numbers involved meant screening procedures were too rushed or incomplete to reliably identify security risks.
Van Hollen warned that it’s unfair to treat all evacuees as suspects even though the shooter committed a horrible crime.
He called blocking or punishing an entire group “collective punishment.”
“These are individuals who worked side by side with America in the fight against the Taliban. And if they were sent back now, the Taliban may likely kill them,” he said.
