Leaving early could cost Afghan evacuees critical benefits — such as expedited work permits — and create a slew of legal problems down the road
Afghan evacuees arrive at Pristina International Airport in Pristina, Kosovo, August 29 2021. Picture: REUTERS/FLORION GOGASomething unexpected is happening at US military bases hosting Afghan evacuees: many hundreds of them are simply leaving before receiving US resettlement services, two sources familiar with the data told Reuters.
In a statement, a US department of homeland security spokesperson declined to comment on the figures provided to Reuters by sources but said people who had left the bases “generally” had ties to the US, such as family members of friends, and resources to support themselves. “It’s a giant can of worms,” said one US citizenship and immigration services official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.The benefits the evacuees have received have been more limited, so far, than what's offered to refugees. But that appears set to change following legislation passed on Thursday by the US Congress — despite opposition by Republicans —that would give Afghan evacuees the more extensive assistance usually provided to refugees.
The scale of the independent departures vary from base to base, according to the sources — more than 300 alone at Fort Bliss in Texas — a figure that is likely to alarm both advocates and critics of the huge US resettlement operation. Afghans leaving US bases can be a touchy issue in some parts of the country, particularly given media coverage of security incidents at Fort McCoy, in Wisconsin, and Fort Bliss.
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