SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A locally founded coalition that's helped thousands safely evacuate from Afghanistan say it’s unacceptable to blame the actions of the suspected National Guard shooter on the entire Afghan people.
“Thousands of Afghans here in San Diego who can't go to the park, who can't go to our beaches, because they're afraid that ICE or Homeland Security Investigations or the FBI or somebody is going to snatch them off the streets and alter their lives forever. All because some deranged jerk went and did some heinous stuff,” Shawn VanDiver, Founder & President of AfghanEvac, said.
It comes after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, and the suspect facing charges is an Afghan national.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan national who reportedly worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War.
“We're, of course, aghast at the horrific atrocity that was perpetrated upon these brave National Guardsmen,” VanDiver said.
ABC 10News spoke with VanDiver on Friday following President Donald Trump’s comments about what the U.S. would do for those who are considered “Third World Countries,” and their immigration status in the United States.
“All of these Afghans stood with us; they fought with us. They did the right thing. And so many have been waiting so patiently for us to get our immigration policy together for a long time,” VanDiver said. “This gentleman is not representative of them. He is one guy.”
VanDiver told ABC 10News it’s unacceptable to "ascribe" the suspect's alleged actions to an entire population.
“We know that this man committed a heinous atrocity, and he should be held accountable. What we know also is that Afghans should not be held accountable for his actions,” VanDiver said.
VanDiver’s organization said Lakanwal applied for asylum in the U.S. under the Biden administration, and it was approved during the Trump administration.
"President Trump's National Counterterrorism Center said he cleared vetting multiple times. The CIA, he worked for the CIA. The CIA brought him here. The CIA signed off on him,” VanDiver said.
Meanwhile, federal agencies are in the middle of their investigation.
"We will not stop until we interview anyone and everyone associated with the subject, the house, and every piece of his life. There's also subject interviews, relations conducted in San Diego, pursuant to our ongoing investigation,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
ABC 10News asked VanDiver if his organization had been contacted by the FBI following the investigation into potential San Diego ties of the suspect.
"Nobody's asked us. We haven't interacted with this guy. We didn't like; the CIA sort of brought him here. So, we had nothing to do with him,” VanDiver said.
A White House official told ABC 10News that processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals has been stopped indefinitely as security and vetting protocols are being reviewed.
They also say the Trump administration is reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration.
