The Biden administration was aided by multiple corporations in bringing thousands of refugees into the country through a program originally intended for Afghans who assisted U.S. forces, a pathway that ultimately admitted the man alleged to have shot two National Guardsmen last week.
Corporations such as Airbnb, American Airlines, Google, and others publicly supported Operation Allies Welcome with the aid of the non-profit group Welcome.US, which facilitated the resettlement of Afghan refugees who aided American Forces during their two-decade involvement in Afghanistan. The program has widely been criticized for bringing thousands of poorly vetted or entirely unvetted refugees refugees into the United States.
“In concert with Welcome.US, private sector leaders are playing a crucial role in this effort, stepping up in meaningful ways to welcome individuals who supported the United States over the past 20 years in Afghanistan and equip them for success as they rebuild their lives,” the Biden White House said in a release recognizing corporate contributions to the program.
Airbnb pledged to provide “temporary housing” for 20,000 Afghan refugees, according to the 2021 release. American Airlines also helped resettle the refugees, providing 6,000 flights free of charge through Welcome.US, with United Airlines also providing free flights.
Walgreens provided arriving refugees with “personal hygiene supplies, infant supplies and OTC medication for United’s CRAF flights to the U.S,” according to the 2021 release.
Additional major public contributors included JPMorgan Chase, Tripadvisor, Etsy, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, Google, and the Chamber of Commerce, among others.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect arrested in the national guard shooting, is a 29-year-old Afghan national who first entered the United States in 2021 under the Allies Welcome program. Lakanwal worked closely with a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban during the U.S. occupation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uncovered “potential derogatory information” on 6,868 individuals who arrived following the 2021 military withdrawal, with 5,005 flagged for national security concerns and 956 flagged for public safety concerns.
Another Afghan national let in under Allies Welcome was arrested by the DHS last Tuesday after allegedly making a bomb threat.
American Airlines, United, Airbnb, Walgreens, JPMorgan Chase, Tripadvisor, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, the Chamber of Commerce and Google did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
The White House did not immediately respond to a DCNF request for comment.
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