Thread: Number of Afghans Gone AWOL in U.S. Reaches 46

Number of Afghans Gone AWOL in U.S. Reaches 46

By Jana Winter
Published July 07, 2010 | FoxNews.com

LACKLAND Air Force BASE, Texas -- A be-on-the-lookout alert issued last month for 17 Afghan military men who walked away from an Air Force base in Texas has turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg. No fewer than 46 members of the Afghan military have gone absent without leave from the Defense Language Institute’s English Language Center at Lackland Air Force Base in recent years, FoxNews.com has learned.

From a series of interviews with civilians and military personnel conducted over the course of a week, and according to documents obtained from a variety of sources, FoxNews.com has learned that five of these Afghan deserters remain at large; eight are in custody; at least 18 are in Canada and one has been granted conditional U.S. residency. The most recent to disappear fled the Texas base just last Thursday, hours after his graduation ceremony.

Some of the men disappeared before completing the Defense Language Institute (DLI) program. Others graduated from DLI but vanished before their scheduled flights back to Afghanistan. Many never showed up at the U.S. military base where they were scheduled to attend specialized formal training. A smaller percentage of the group went AWOL while attending the formal training programs.

Military and law enforcement officials say it’s not uncommon for foreign military personnel who come to the U.S. for training to get lured in by hopes of a better life. But the number of AWOL Afghans has become a growing problem.

Last year alone, 21 Afghan military students disappeared from DLI — a much higher rate than students from other countries who attend the school
. Two of the men went AWOL weeks after graduating from the program; the others vanished before completing it.

"In 2009, the Defense Language Institute English Language Center reported two other students from countries other than Afghanistan went missing," Gary Emery, spokesman for Lackland AFB, told FoxNews.com. "They include one Iraqi who requested asylum in Houston and one Djiboutian whose status is unknown.â€

okay enough is enough. stop bringing these people over here to train.

I posted this article to show that not all illegal aliens are Hispanics who slip over the border from Mexico. Some *gasp* come here legally and overstay their visit. Others, like the ones in this story, just walk away from where they’re supposed to be (military bases, universities, etc.). Illegal aliens come in all races and from all countries. Not all illegal aliens come here to work and get a better life. How many 9/11 hijackers were here illegally? It’s a shame that so many just don’t get it.

From what I understand we are running a deficit on Arabic translators and that is probably why we have extended a hand to these people. Personally, I think we have enough prospects in our schools if we would just take the time to mine our educational system. One of our problems is we get people in power that get hungry for attention, they get laws passed and two seconds later we are hiring for a position that has just been created. It takes longer to backtrack from these stupid moves then to stop and logically figure out what path makes the most sense. Student visa overstays are rampant. Not to mention the student visas that are issued and once the student gets in the country we never hear from them again. Congress is sucking the life out of this country with their overabundance of guilt and stupidity.