A Gerroa migration lawyer and former army officer fears Afghans with Australian visas could die if electronic documents continue to be knocked back.
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Glenn Kolomeitz who served in Afghanistan, represents hundreds of Afghans entitled to protection in Australia.
He told the Mercury today that his clients, such as interpreters for the Australian Defence Force, were being knocked back time and again despite having the necessary documentation.
"One of our [Australian] embassy guard groups made the [airport] gate three times but got turned away all three times," Mr Kolomeitz said.
"They had fought their way through the crowds, through the Taliban and got to the gates to show their electronic visas but were turned away and told they had to have paper visas.....paper visas, that's just ridiculous.
"Eventually we coordinated directly with DFAT [Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] in Kabul at the airport and got them to start getting our people through directly.
"We got our last family through the gates working with DFAT, coordinating with DFAT just before this latest attack, and they are now inside the terminal."
Mr Kolomeitz has been advocating for his clients long before the world learned that Taliban forces had seized control of the capital Kabul.
He has had support from his colleagues at GAP Veteran and Legal Services, including humanitarian advocates Dr Kay Danes and Patrick Ryan as well as former army officers Jason Scanes and Stuart McCarthy.
They have joined advocates in the USA and Argentina to seek the safe evacuation of over 1200 Australian Embassy security guards, contractors and their families, from the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Mr Kolomeitz said about 1000 embassy guards, interpreters and their families who helped Australian forces remained in Afghanistan.
"We've been representing these people for a long time to try and get them visas to Australia," he said.
"The most recent application for a visa was 12 months ago, most of them go back years.
"That's why we had to put enormous pressure on governments after the Taliban took Kabul, to issue emergency visas, which they did, and we are grateful for that....but the issues with the electronic visas has been shocking.
"Nevertheless we've managed to get 300 embassy guards, interpreters and their families out as well as 100 other people with various connections, such as former Afghan army officers who have been in Australia and some other groups that have been targetted."
But he remains "frustrated" at what it required to get a family of 17 out.
Mr Kolomeitz is "especially devastated" the Afghan family of an interpreter who died working for the ADF, has been "stuffed around".
"I'm talking about the Amiri family," he said. "Their brother was an interpreter working with the ADF and he got killed in an attack alongside three Australian ADF soldiers at Shah Wali Kot in 2011.
The family lost a brother working for us, they have other family in Australia who work for us, they have an absolute entitlement to visas to Australia.
- Glenn Kolomeitz
"So their brother was killed working as an interpreter for us and the rest of their family are in Australia, but we still had major issues getting the family inside the gate.
"Once we did fortunately they got on a US flight which took them to Dubai. We asked DFAT to pick up the family and take them to the Australian centre but they refused.
"Instead they were flown to Ramstein Refugee Camp in Berlin, where they were told they would be going to a refugee camp in Uganda.
"I wrote another lawyer letter saying 'we are acting for these people and are trying to get them visas, so don't send them to Uganda'.
"They didn't and were sent to Dulles International Airport in Washington DC.
"The last I heard is that they've been transferred to a refugee camp in Texas.
"We are begging the government to get them the visas to Australia that they deserve, that they are entitled to.. The government is ignoring us but we are still putting that pressure on.
"The family lost a brother working for us, they have other family in Australia who work for us, they have an absolute entitlement to visas to Australia.
"Yet Australia can not abrogate its responsibility to the US...it is just crazy."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
