Americans evacuated from Kabul are currently stranded at an airport in Abu Dhabi. This is because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied them landing rights on the US soil. Therefore, a charter plane carrying an excess of 1,000 Americans and green card holders from Kabul was stranded in UAE.
“They will not allow a charter on an international flight into a U.S. port of entry,” Bryan Stern, a founder of non-profit group Project Dynamo told media houses.
There are efforts to take the Americans home. The people are now being held at a hangar at an airport in Kabul where they are living in terrible conditions. There is no food, no showers, bathrooms are in poor condition and movement is restricted because they are on the airfield side.
Families are now sleeping on the floor and they sit on hard plastic chairs and there is limited access to portable water.
“We have an immediate and urgent need for food and diapers in the airport. There are no stores in the hangar where they are. I’ve spent all night on the phone trying to get supplies to them and I can’t,” Jen Wilson of Project Dynamo stated.
Among those detained at the airport are 28 Americans, 83 green card holders and 6 people with U.S. Special Immigration Visas including 59 children.
Currently, organizers are exploring the option of flying them using a plane from Egypt to fly them to Cairo. They would then possibly be flown to Dulles Airport in Virginia. However, they would still need security clearance in order to land in USA. This new plan will cost the organizers some $450,000.
The US embassy staff in UAE is currently vetting the people in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security before they are permitted to travel to the United States of America.
“All U.S.-bound flights must follow the established safety, security, and health protocols before they are cleared for departure. This process requires flight manifests to be verified before departure to the U.S. to ensure all passengers are screened appropriately,” A DHS spokesperson added.
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