U.S. poised to revoke visas of missing Afghan trainees
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 December 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, U.S. poised to revoke visas of missing Afghan trainees, 12 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813db012.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 12, 2015
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is searching for two Afghan aircraft maintenance trainees who went missing this week, and will revoke the men's visas, officials said December 11.
The two men failed to report for duty December 7 at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.
They are believed to pose no threat to public safety, but their disappearance comes at a time of heightened worries about attacks in the United States after a militant Islamist couple killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, last week.
The U.S. State Department is poised to revoke the men's visas, Bryan Cox, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Reuters, noting that is "standard process for anybody that is not compliant with the terms of their visa."
The students were screened by the U.S. and Afghan governments before coming to the United States and were scheduled to graduate from aircraft mechanics training next week.
It is not known why they left the base.
In January, an Afghan soldier who went missing from a U.S. military base was granted asylum by the United States.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website