US lawmakers slam State Department over lack of help for Americans stuck in Mideast

Source: Reuters

March 3, 2026 9:51 AM EST Updated 24 mins ago


WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday criticized the State Department for urging Americans in the Middle East to evacuate three days after the U.S.-Israeli air war against Iran began, saying the late warning and widespread flight disruptions showed ​poor planning and “incompetence.”

Appearing to respond to the criticism, Assistant Secretary for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said on Tuesday that the Department was "actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish ‌to leave the Middle East," but did not say when such flights would be available. The Department was in contact with nearly 3,000 U.S. citizens abroad, Johnson added, urging citizens to call a phone number for assistance.

On Monday, the Department urged Americans across 14 countries in the Middle East to immediately depart the region using "available commercial transportation" without offering any U.S.-government-vouched means. The U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in a statement said it was unable to offer assistance to Americans trying to leave, although an official later said assistance was being offered.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on ​Tuesday, President Donald Trump said: "It all happened very quickly," referring to the war with Iran, when asked why there were no plans to evacuate U.S. citizens.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-urges-americans-leave-middle-east-amid-air-travel-disruptions-2026-03-03/

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All of their planes are being used by ICE to round up, detain, shift from state to state to detain some more, and then to deport brown people to 3rd party countries.

REFERENCES

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143625365
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143625492
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