As many as 700 Afghan evacuees scattered across several U.S. military bases have departed the sites without first receiving resettlement services, two sources familiar with data on the matter said.
During the United States’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of August, numerous evacuees were brought into the U.S. under the temporary status of “humanitarian parole.” Thousands of Afghans have been transferred to U.S. military bases, and resettlement groups have been working with U.S. officials to connect Afghans with services for a steady transition to the U.S., but hundreds are reportedly heading out on their own.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the data figures provided to Reuters by anonymous sources, but a spokesperson said some Afghans have left U.S. military bases, saying those who did “generally” had ties to the U.S. such as family members, friends, and other resources for support. Some Afghans who were evacuated to the U.S. had dual citizenship, permanent residency, or had approved special immigrant visas and were able to leave the military bases sooner than those who came through humanitarian parole, the DHS spokesperson added.
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The number of Afghans departing the bases varies, the sources said, adding that more than 300 departed from Fort Bliss in Texas. Officials in the U.S. stressed that all Afghans leaving the bases had undergone advanced security screening.
Fort Bliss was recently the subject of a report regarding a female U.S. service member who was allegedly assaulted by male Afghan refugees at the site. At Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, two Afghan evacuees were charged with crimes, including one who was accused of “strangling and suffocating” his wife and another for attempts to engage in sexual acts with a minor.
Independently departing the bases is likely a detriment to most Afghans who leave before completing their resettlement, according to a U.S. document titled “Departee Information.” On the bases, Afghans can have their immigration documents processed and receive money to help pay for their travel destination in the U.S.
“Once you leave this base, you forfeit these advantages and may not return,” the documents said.
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Reports of Afghans leaving military bases prematurely emerged in early September after Republican Tennessee Rep. Mark Green said sources with knowledge about the situation told him that some Afghans were departing bases without permission from authorities by way of ride-sharing services such as Uber.
The Washington Examiner contacted Fort Bliss and DHS but did not immediately receive a response.
