The Department of Homeland Security has said individuals with known ties to terrorism will not be permitted to live in the United States, a warning issued in the wake of the arrest of an Afghan man accused of threatening to carry out a suicide bombing in Texas.
The man, Mohammad Dawood Alkozai, was taken into custody after allegedly posting a video on TikTok in which he appeared to construct an explosive device. In the video, he claimed he was preparing to detonate the bomb in the Fort Worth area. The date of the recording remains unclear.
“We will not allow terrorists to live on US soil,” the Department said in a statement posted to social media. “Mohammad Dawood Alkozai posted a video of himself on TikTok showing the construction of a bomb intended for detonation in Fort Worth, Texas.”
The case has drawn renewed attention to the vetting process for Afghan nationals who entered the United States after the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. According to a report by The New York Post, US security officials have identified roughly 7,000 Afghan evacuees as potential threats after security screenings.
The report also said that more than 5,000 evacuees were placed under investigation after their arrival due to various security concerns, including suspected ties to extremist activity or fraud.
Those concerns have deepened following a recent shooting in Washington, D.C., in which another Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was accused of shooting and injuring two members of the National Guard. The incident has prompted federal officials to reopen thousands of cases involving Afghan migrants, including lawful permanent residents.
According to the internal data cited by the New York Post, about 7,000 Afghan evacuees have been flagged as potential security risks, more than 5,000 have been investigated post-arrival, 956 were linked to general security concerns and 876 were flagged for possible fraud.
In a related move, Reuters reported that the US has suspended visa processing — including Special Immigrant Visas, or SIVs — for holders of Afghan passports. The State Department confirmed that embassies and consulates had been instructed to halt all visa issuances to Afghan nationals until further notice.
A spokesperson for the department said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution,” and emphasized that “no priority exceeds the security of the American people.”
President Trump, addressing the recent string of incidents, indicated that his administration is considering more permanent restrictions on immigration from countries deemed high-risk, though he did not specify which nations would be affected.
The Department of Homeland Security has also released a list of six Afghan citizens allegedly linked to past or ongoing security incidents in the United States.
