FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 , 2020. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ SU A
BY NICK MIROFFActing Department of Home-
land Security secretary Chad Wolf
is making plans to travel to sev-
eral countries in Latin America
next month, a proposal that has
raised concerns about the neces-
sity of such a trip in the middle of
the coronavirus pandemic.
The trip is tentatively sched-
uled for the week of Dec. 7, and it
could include stops in El Salva-
dor, Panama, Colombia, Brazil
and Ecuador, according to three
people with knowledge of the
plans who spoke on the condition
of anonymity because they were
not authorized to discuss the
preparations.
The United States has more
confirmed coronavirus infections
than any other country in the
world, but Latin American na-
tions have been especially hard-
hit, and Brazil and Colombia have
mortality rates from the disease
that exceed the U.S. mark, accord-
ing to data compiled by Johns
Hopkins University.There are no major conferenc-
es for Wolf to attend in the region
that week, and at least one person
familiar with the outlines of the
plan referred to the trip as “a
boondoggle.”
“There are no specific events
requiring the travel,” the person
said. “The region is hard-hit by
covid and embassies will be hard-
pressed to deal with so many
visitors in a covid-safe way.”
In addition to top aides, Wolf’s
travel would require a Secret
Service security detail and the
assistance of embassy staffers in
each nation.
Homeland Security officials
dec lined to discuss Wolf’s tenta-tive plans.
“The Department of Homeland
Security does not comment on
allegedly leaked documents,”
spokesman Alexei Woltornist
said in a statement. “The Depart-
ment will continue to carry out its
mission protecting the Home-
land.”
One person with knowledge of
the plans said the purpose of the
trip would be to advance discus-
sions on a range of topics, from
cargo security to cybercrime and
criminal fugitives. The DHS del-
egation will observe the same
diplomatic protocols followed by
the State Department to mini-
mize the risk of spreading thecoronavirus, the person said.
While a stop in Brazil is the
least likely of the five nations on
the itinerary, the other four re-
main part of Wolf’s plans, the
person said.
Under Trump, DHS has signed
“asylum cooperation agree-
ments” with Guatemala, Hondu-
ras and El Salvador that allow U.S.
authorities to take migrants seek-
ing humanitarian protections
and fly them to Central America
instead.
The agreement with Guatema-
la is the only one that has taken
effect, but Trump administration
officials have sought to reach bi-
lateral agreements with other na-tions in Latin America. They ar-
gue that asylum seekers should
attempt to find safety in the clos-
est nation capable of protecting
them once they have left their
home country, rather than mak-
ing a long and dangerous journey
to the U.S.-M exico border.
President-elect Joe Biden cam-
paigned on a pledge to “end
Trump’s detrimental asylum pol-
icies,” but the proposals he out-
lines stop short of vowing to can-
cel the cooperation agreements.
One of the officials involved in
planning Wolf’s trip said the asy-
lum agreements will not be the
main focus of his visits.
[email protected]Wolf planning Latin America trip amid sta≠’s concerns about coronavirus
Travel for the acting
Homeland Security chief
called ‘ a boondoggle’ber that it would reduce the
annual cap on refugee entries to a
record low of 15,000.
While that number allocates
up to 4,000 spots for U.S.-af filiat-
ed Iraqis per year, Iraqi appli-
cants have been processed slowly,
partly because of heightened se-
curity vetting. According to the
International Refugee Assistance
Project (IRAP), there is a backlog
of over 100,000 Iraqi applicants.
The U.S. government also set
aside 4,000 spots for Iraqis last
year but only 161 were resettled,
IRAP said.
Meanwhile, the United States
no longer allows Iraqis who
worked with the U.S. government
in Iraq to apply for a S pecial
Immigrant Visas program, which
stopped accepting new applica-
tions in 2014. A parallel program
for Iraqi and Afghan translators
remains open, but it is capped at
50 people per year.
“Pathw ays for humanitarian
protection for refugees from Iraq
have so narrowed that they are
basically closed,” said Sunil Var-
ghese, IRAP’s policy director.
One of the translators who had
worked with the Navy SEALs said
he had been “honored” to do so.
“I’m so proud of all the days I’ve
been working with the greatest
forces in the world,” he said. “But
the problem is that after they are
gone, their government doesn’t
care about us. We a re literally left
behind.”
In the northern city of Irbil, a
group of translators submitted a
letter late last month to the U.S.
Consulate there that they said
was on behalf of about 400 people
who had been hired by Valiant.
“We are sure that you are well
aware of the situation and the
difficulties we face every day. For
that, we are asking you kindly to
reactivate [the visa] program that
used to be provided for Linguists... just a few years ago,” the letter
read.
Hostile militias, it said, are
“capable and willing” to hunt
down translators who have sup-
ported the departing U.S. forces.
“The situation for us is a matter of
When rather than If.”
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Ryan reported from Washington.received, and for the most part,
they say, their complaints were
taken seriously by the U.S. mili-
tary. Some men were offered a
safe place to stay on a military
base. Others said their superiors
made it clear that they had their
backs.
“I knew the risks when I signed
on, but I also knew that the
United States had told us that no
matter the threat, they would
stand by us,” said another transla-
tor from Kirkuk.
During four years of service, he
said, he had worked with the U.S.
Navy SEALs and the Montana
Army National Guard and had
most recently been helping train
Iraqi forces at two centers in
northern Iraq.
When he received his termina-
tion notice, he got goose bumps.
“I knew then that it isn’t a m atter
of asking whether something will
happen to us. It’s a matter of
asking when,” he said.
Another translator, who said
he had worked with the Navy
SEALs on the front lines against
the Islamic State, said he had not
believed a colleague who called to
say their contracts had ended.
“He told me to check my Gmail, so
I did the thing where you drag the
screen down to refresh. I really
didn’t think anything would
show up. When it did, we were all
freaking out.”
In late October, a little-known
militia named Ashab al-Kahf ad-
dressed the translators directly in
a statement, suggesting that the
group would be willing to “for-
give” and even provide a salary to
those who identified themselves
as working on a U.S. military
installation. “Today we think it is
beautiful to offer forgiveness to
those who have insulted them-
selves, their religion and their
country, who have rendered ser-
vices to the American, the Eng-
lish, and the rest of the enemies of
Iraq,” the statement said.
A former translator in Bagh-
dad said he saw the offer as a
“trap,” adding, “Just like I predict-
ed, the worst is yet to come.”
The mounting peril comes as
the Trump administration has
been making it more difficult for
people who fear war or other
dangers in their home countries
to move to the United States. The
White House announced in Octo-wounded.
Marotto, the coalition spokes-
man, referred questions about
attacks on convoy drivers to the
Iraqi military, because the drivers
are employed by companies con-
tracted by Iraq’s security forces.
The Trump administration’s
plans to draw down most of the
remaining U.S. troops in Iraq
have come amid escalating mili-
tia assaults against the convoys
and other U.S. interests, includ-
ing repeated rocket attacks on
bases hosting American forces.
Between March and August,hundreds of Iraqi personnel
working in support of the U.S.
mission received emails saying
their contracts had ended be-
cause of a loss of funding, stoking
fears that they would be even
more vulnerable to revenge at-
tacks once the Americans depart.
Those who have been working
remotely because of the coronavi-
rus outbreak were told not to
return to their bases. Those still
working at military installations
alongside U.S. soldiers said they
were informed that their depar-
ture would be “coordinated” in
short order.
The U.S.-led coalition has been
stationed in Iraq to fight the
Islamic State since 2014. In Sep-
tember, Marine Gen. Frank Mc-
Kenzie, the commander of U.S.
Central Command, said the troop
reduction — from about 5,200 to
3,000 — reflects the administra-
tion’s confidence that Iraqi secu-
rity forces can handle the remain-
ing threat from Islamic State
militants in the country.
While employed, the transla-
tors could report threats theyfor their warfighters or team-
mates in jeopardy.” The spokes-
man, Col. Wayne Marotto, said
Valiant should be contacted for
any further information.
When contacted, Valiant did
not provide further formal com-
ment. But a person familiar with
the issue said Valiant’s policy is to
notify the appropriate military
unit if a current or former em-
ployee reports a threat, which the
person said has occurred “a few
times a year.” The person added:
“This is a priority. The military
takes it from there.”When the U.S. military was
contacted again and asked how it
handles these threats once it has
been notified, the spokesman
provided no further comment.
Although Iranian-backed mili-
tias participated in the U.S.-sup-
ported campaign to oust the Is-
lamic State from its self-pro-
claimed caliphate, these armed
groups have recently been esca-
lating their attacks on American
interests in Iraq, especially after
the U.S. killing of top Iranian
commander Qasem Soleimani in
Baghdad in January.
Militias in Iraq have described
the translators as traitors. Iraqis
driving equipment and logistics
convoys on behalf of the U.S.-led
coalition have been targeted.
There have been at least 30 rocket
or improvised explosive attacks
on the convoys since the summer,
according to figures compiled by
Joel Wing, an Iraq expert and
author of the Musings on Iraq
blog, which chronicles security
and political developments. At
least two people have been killed
and another eight have beenrecent months. Many have been
laid off as the United States
prepares to withdraw its forces
from the country, leaving the
former contract workers unem-
ployed and potentially unprotect-
ed.
The translator from Baghdad,
now out of work, has been renting
temporary accommodations with
two former colleagues to hide
out. But money is running out.
“We are literally eating our sav-
ings buying food here,” he said.
“We’ll be empty-handed by the
end of the year.”
Under its contract with the
U.S. military, Valiant hires trans-
lators, formally known as lin-
guists, for work in Iraq, Syria and
other places. The company has
shared little information publicly
about its work and employees,
citing contract restrictions.
Militia access to the personal
information of Valiant’s employ-
ees could exacerbate a threat long
felt by Iraqi support staff, who in
some cases already fear they have
been identified by militiamen
monitoring checkpoints and mil-
itary bases.
“We have interpreters right
now who call me to say they have
been threatened when they visit
the bazaar or even just when they
leave their homes,” said an Iraqi
translator who coordinates a net-
work of former support staff.
“Some people have been told: ‘We
can’t touch U.S. citizens here, but
we can touch you.’ ”
This translator, who lives in
the northern city of Kirkuk, re-
called a recent evening when he
was leaving a busy cafe. A man he
didn’t recognize approached
from behind and tapped his
shoulder firml y. “I turned around
and he looked at me directly. He
told me I had to leave this city,”
recounted the translator.
In response to a request for
comment, the U.S. military de-
clined to say whether it had taken
any steps to protect the personal
information of Iraqi translators
and address the threats they now
face as a result of this informa-
tion being accessible to Iranian-
backed groups.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led
coalition said he had contacted
Valiant and that the company had
responded that “it does not share
information that puts the safetymission for the translators to
move around Iraq, according to
documents and Iraqi military of-
ficials. But Iranian-backed mili-
tias have so permeated parts of
Iraq’s security apparatus that the
information has, in some cases,
become accessible to groups that
have taken up arms against the
Americans and their local sup-
port staff, Iraqi of ficials say.
“It’s not a surprise that militias
have these documents,” said an
official in Iraqi Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s office. He
added, “They believe it’s going to
be a long battle, so they will
gather as much leverage over U.S.
interests as possible.”
In June, a list purporting to
contain personal information
abo ut Iraqis admitted to the
Union III military base in Bagh-
dad, the main headquarters of
the U.S.-led military coalition,
was published by the Sabreen
news agency, which is affiliated
with Iranian-backed militias. The
list included the names, address-
es and identification numbers of
Iraqi drivers and the make, mod-
el, year and license plate numbers
of their cars, among other specif-
ics, and the document bore logos
of the U.S.-led military coalition
and the U.S. Defense Depart-
ment. The Washington Post could
not independently verify the au-
thenticity of the list.
Separately, two Iraqi transla-
tors said they witnessed militia-
men who were stationed near an
Iraqi military checkpoint check a
list containing personal informa-
tion that had been acquired from
a military coordination center
run by the Iraqi security forces.
“When we realized where the
information had come from, we
were shocked. The list contains
everything. Phone numbers, ID
numbers, even our real names,”
said one translator from Bagh-
dad. The Post reviewed a copy of
the list and confirmed this de-
scription.
“It’d be an easy mission to hunt
us down,” the translator said.
“They have all the information
now. What if this list now goes
online?” This man, like seven
other translators interviewed for
this story, spoke on the condition
of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
In response to a request for
comment, a U.S. military spokes-
man said the U.S.-led coalition
does not share personally identi-
fiable information about the
translators with the Iraqi military
or government.
But three documents obtained
by The Post show that such infor-
mation provided by the U.S.-led
coalition has been circulated by
various elements of the Iraqi
security forces over the past year.
The documents, all issued by the
national operations center under
Iraq’s prime minister, say the
information was obtained from
the U.S.-led coalition and then
shared with Iraqi security forces,
including at three military camps
in Baghdad; the special division
for the Green Zone in central
Baghdad; and the military intelli-
gence directorate. In one case, the
document includes personal in-
formation for 143 of the employ-
ees.
A senior Iraqi military officer
said the U.S. military shared the
information so the translators
could travel outside military bas-
es.
When the U.S. military spokes-
man was asked about the docu-
ments showing that the U.S.-pro-
vided information had been giv-
en to various Iraqi security forces,
he had no additional comment.
The translators, who have been
employed by Valiant Integrated
Services, a Virginia-based con-
tractor, represent one of the larg-
est groups of Iraqis who have
worked closely with the U.S.-led
coalition. Many have served on
the front lines with U.S. and other
coalition troops, sleeping in the
same foxholes and camping out
in abandoned buildings as fight-
ing rage d around them.
The threat facing the transla-
tors has grown more intense in
IRAQ FROM A
Iraqi translators fear personal details have been exposed
EMILIENNE MALFATTO FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
Members of the Hashd al-Shaabi forces watch as portraits of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, right, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis are unveiled in
Baghdad on Jan. 20, a f ew weeks after both were killed in a U.S. drone strike. Armed groups have recently e scalated their attacks on American interests in Iraq.“We have interpreters right now who call me
to say they have been threatened when they
visit the bazaar or even just when they leave
their homes.... Some people have been told:
‘We can’t touch U.S. citizens here, but we can
touch you.’ ”
An Iraqi translator in Kirkuk, speaking anonymously