Afghan evacuees who have been flagged during the vetting process have quietly been taken to a U.S. military base in Kosovo, though little is known about who is there and what will happen to them.
There have been roughly 30 Afghan evacuees, along with 170 family members, diverted to Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo, according to the Associated Press, which cited an unnamed U.S. official.
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These individuals are free to move around the confines of the base, though they are not permitted to leave under the conditions set by the Kosovo government.
“What I can tell you is we’ve surged resources, and we deployed some additional personnel from relevant departments and agencies overseas to Camp Bondsteel to effectively vet individuals who require further processing before onward movement, and there are a range of Afghan evacuees at Bondsteel to include many families, women, and children who we’ve definitely prioritized being able to keep them together,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said during Monday’s briefing. “I think it’s also important to remember that all individuals have to pass our security screening and vetting process and receive the necessary vaccinations before proceeding to their onward travel to the United States.”
He also noted that per the U.S. agreement with Kosovo, all of the evacuees will be moved either to the United States or a third country within “365 days.”
An unnamed official told the outlet that the evacuees sent to Bondsteel require “significant further consideration” before they’re permitted to move on to the United States, while National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne told the AP , “The fact that some people have been flagged by our counterterrorism, intelligence, or law enforcement professionals for additional screening shows our system is working.”
Multiple nonprofit organizations have criticized the Biden administration for not being more transparent about what will happen to those who are flagged and what will happen to those who are not approved to enter the U.S.
“We are obviously concerned,” Jelena Sesar, a researcher for Amnesty International, said. “What really happens with these people, especially the people who don’t pass security vetting? Are they going to be detained? Are they going to have any access to legal assistance? And what is the plan for them? Is there any risk of them ultimately being returned to Afghanistan?”
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To date, more than 66,000 Afghans have arrived in the U.S. since Aug. 17, shortly after the U.S. military began carrying out a noncombatant evacuation operation following the fall of the Afghan government. Roughly 55,000 of them are currently residing at one of eight U.S. military bases around the country, where they are completing their migration process, medical evaluations, and quarantine.
Republicans have repeatedly questioned the U.S.’s vetting capabilities when it comes to allowing Afghans to resettle in the U.S., and there have been a handful of criminal incidents at military bases, though not many.
