Mica Rosenberg and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Unexpected events are occurring at U.S. military base hosting Afghan evacuees. Many hundred of them simply want to leave the country before being eligible for resettlement services by the U.S., according two sources.

It has never been reported that there are 700+ “independent departures”. However, the phenomena is alarming immigration advocates worried about the risk to Afghans who stop trying to resettle in an ongoing complex, open-ended process.

Many of those evacuees who fled Afghanistan during the 20-year war were allowed to enter the United States in a temporary state called “humanitarian parole”. After being transferred to U.S. bases, refugees resettlement organizations and U.S officials tried to link people to services to ensure a seamless transition into the United States.

The spokesperson from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, DHS, declined to comment, but indicated that those who have left the bases were “generally” connected to the United States. This included family members and friends as well as resources for support.

According to the spokesperson, many evacuated people were U.S. citizens and permanent residents. They also had special immigrant visas that allowed them to quickly leave.

However, leaving too early can cost Afghan refugees critical benefits like work permits and expedited work permits. It could also cause legal issues down the line due to the complexity of U.S immigration.

According to one U.S. citizen, it’s “a gigantic can of worms.” An official from Citizenship and Immigration Services spoke under anonymity.

It could cause years upon years of severe problems with immigration.

The benefits received by evacuees are less than that offered to refugees. Congress passed legislation on Thursday, despite Republican opposition. This would provide Afghan refugees with the same assistance as is provided for refugees.

Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley stated in a statement that “We should make every effort to assist our Afghan allies get started in their new home,”

New legislation states that Afghan asylum requests should be processed quickly. However, those who depart the U.S. base early may not receive all of the legal guidance they require to start their application.

One-way Trip Off Base

Experts in immigration say Afghans leaving the bases do not violate U.S. laws, and that military personnel have no legal authority over law-abiding Afghans at any of eight locations housing 53,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban via U.S. evacuation flights.

Sources say the magnitude of individual departures can vary depending on the base. There are over 300 such departures at Fort Bliss, Texas. That is a number that will alarm both critics and advocates of the vast U.S. resettlement effort.

U.S. officials insist that every Afghan who leaves U.S. military bases has been through security screening. There is a greater risk that the Afghans will leave on their own.

Reuters viewed a document titled “Departee Info” which is intended to warn Afghans about leaving the country before their resettlement process can be completed. They are reminded that they have the option to get their visa paperwork and cash for their travel expenses to the United States from base.

It reads, “Once your leave this base you lose these benefits and may not come back.”

Margaret Stock, an expert in immigration cases related to military matters, stated that the warning was not malicious.

She said, “I believe they are trying to look after people.”

“The base managers have every right to be concerned that someone may not fully understand the implications of wandering off.”

Afghans leaving U.S. military bases is a sensitive issue. This is especially true given the media coverage at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and Fort Bliss in Texas.

General Glen VanHerck from Northern Command refuted the suggestion that U.S. base criminality is a problem. On Thursday, he told Pentagon reporters that there were only eight thefts and robberies in six weeks.

VanHerck answered the question, “It wasn’t vaccinations against measles and coronaviruses or security checks.”

U.S. officials made every effort to assure that each Afghan guest had a safe landing spot and has assurances of where they are going to be relocating to.

He said, “So, I know that right now is the limiting factor in output.”