The fatal shooting of two Afghan National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., on November 26, has sparked heated debates in the Texas Republican Senate primary, primarily around the issue of refugee resettlement support.
Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt, who is running a challenging campaign against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, proposed a bill on Thursday aimed at terminating all remaining Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan nationals who assisted the U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Hunt’s main opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has expressed gratitude for U.S. assistance in resettling Afghans following the chaotic withdrawal in August 2021.
Rahmanullah Rakanwar, an Afghan who had previously worked with the U.S. military, is alleged to have shot two West Virginia National Guard soldiers near the White House on that date, with one soldier, Sarah Beckstrom, succumbing to her injuries the following day.
Hunt, a 44-year-old military veteran, has argued that Cornyn bears some responsibility for Rakanwar’s entry into the U.S. back in September 2021. He emphasized Cornyn’s collaboration with Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla in pushing forward a law that expedited the issuance of special immigrant visas during Afghanistan’s tumultuous withdrawal.
“The crisis we see today originated from the actions of Sen. John Cornyn and radical leftist Sen. Alex Padilla,” Hunt stated. “They laid the groundwork that allowed Rakanwar to get into the United States and ultimately take American lives.”
However, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official previously mentioned that the accused entered the U.S. via humanitarian parole, without specifying whether Rakanwar had a valid SIV application.
Rakanwar was among those resettled under a program from the Biden administration known as Operation Welcoming Allies, which facilitated the relocation of over 75,000 refugees following Kabul’s fall to the Taliban. There were also indications that Rakanwar had been in the process of applying for an SIV before the shooting, though federal authorities have not disclosed if he ever secured a visa.
Despite this, Hunt maintained that due to Rakanwar’s former CIA work, he was likely among the 3,300 Afghans granted SIVs in 2021. Hunt has urged the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to clarify Rakanwar’s status regarding his visa when entering the country.
Additionally, Hunt’s proposed bill would reallocate funds from the SIV program to support housing for homeless veterans and instructs the DHS secretary to assess all previously awarded SIVs to confirm there’s no ongoing threat to the American public.
Cornyn’s campaign countered that Hunt’s stance is inconsistent, pointing out that just a year and a half ago, he had publicly supported welcoming all Afghan refugees entering the U.S., numbering in the tens of thousands. In an earlier interview, Hunt voiced his belief in loyalty, saying, “We have to give them loyalty back,” though he was vague on the specifics.
Following the shooting, the Trump administration halted visa application processing for Afghan nationals and paused asylum decisions—a move Cornyn supported, citing concerns over inadequate vetting of individuals entering the country. He emphasized the need to re-evaluate existing policies, particularly as they pertain to the 2024 presidential election.
Moreover, Greg Keller, a spokesperson for a Paxton-leaning political action committee, criticized Cornyn, labeling him as a supporter of liberal policies that could potentially jeopardize border security.
