Report: Dozens of California students still stranded in Afghanistan



Dozens of California schoolchildren and their families remain stranded in Afghanistan following the Biden administration's botched withdrawal from the war-torn country, the Los Angeles Times reported this week.

What are the details?

In a newsletter published Wednesday morning, the Times offered updates on the whereabouts of several San Diego County and Sacramento-area students who were left behind amid the chaotic evacuation from the now-Taliban-controlled country in August.

The paper noted that "there are dozens of Sacramento-area families still in the country, according to the San Juan Unified School District."

"Recently, three families — including seven students — made it back to the U.S. But about 38 students are still there," the Times noted.

The Sacramento City Unified School District reportedly told the paper that "an Afghan immigrant family with three children" enrolled at one of its elementary schools also sought help in fleeing, but "the students have not yet returned to the school."

Representatives from both school districts expressed hopefulness about the students' eventual safe return.

What else?

In addition to the stranded students and families from Sacramento-area schools, at least one parent and four students from the Cajon Valley Union School District in San Diego County remain stranded in Afghanistan, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa confirmed.

"We are tracking one remaining El Cajon family unit, and it includes El Cajon schoolchildren," a spokesman for Issa told the Times. "We've provided their names, documents and other detailed information to the State Department on numerous occasions [emphasis his] — as well as discussed them with [the State Department] repeatedly. Congressman Issa and his team continue to press official channels including State, DOD, DHS, and the White House on a daily basis."

In response to a request for comment, a State Department spokesperson told the paper, "We have assisted 105 U.S. citizens and 95 lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to depart Afghanistan. These are the numbers of people whose individual departures we directly facilitated."

But when asked about specific individuals, the spokesperson reportedly said that "due to privacy considerations, we are unable to comment on specific cases."

Anything else?

When the last U.S. plane departed Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 30, Pentagon officials confirmed that hundreds of Americans had been left behind.

The administration has been widely condemned for its failure to evacuate every American citizen and Afghan friendly amid the Taliban's takeover of the country, especially in light of reports that the State Department has actively interfered with evacuation efforts.

The president, however, has insisted that his administration will work tirelessly to assist every American who wants to flee Afghanistan to do so.

Pentagon spox downplays leaving Americans stranded in Afghanistan: 'We have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time'



Pentagon press secretary John Kirby continued to put his foot in his mouth Tuesday while trying to convince the public that the Biden administration has things under control in Afghanistan.

What happened?

While speaking with MSNBC's Willie Geist on "Morning Joe," Kirby trotted out a strange talking point regarding the American citizens currently stranded in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as evacuation efforts have ended.

The beleaguered spokesman appeared to downplay the situation by essentially arguing that this sort of thing happens "all the time."

"So what does that look like, how does diplomacy get those people out of the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan?" asked Geist.

"It's not completely unlike the way we do it elsewhere around the world," Kirby replied. "I mean, we have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time."

Biden’s Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby: “We have Americans that get #stranded in countries all the time.” https://t.co/VXH5vxAwlI

— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) 1630415090.0

What was the reaction?

The response immediately drew backlash on social media.

"Imagine being an American stranded in Afghanistan and hearing the spokesman for the department who is responsible for getting you out saying this," tweeted Amy Tarkanian. "Absolutely unbelievable."

"This is the message we are left with from the Biden administration as hundreds of our citizens may never make it home," added Republican Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.)

"Not so much 'stranded' as abandoned," clarified Andrew Malcolm.

Jerusalem Post columnist Emily Schrader said simply, "Shame!"

Hot Air's Ed Morrissey noted that Kirby's language makes it seem as if the Americans still left in Afghanistan got themselves stranded there under their own volition, an argument he points out is completely invalid.

"These Americans didn't get themselves stranded. They were abandoned by their own government in Biden's haste to get out of Afghanistan," he argued.

What else?

In addition to being extremely insensitive, Kirby's remarks also contradicted the administration's previous argument regarding the left-behind Americans

During a press briefing last week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted that Americans are not "stranded" and that it is "irresponsible" to refer to them as such.

"I think it's irresponsible to say Americans are stranded. They are not. We are committed to bringing Americans who want to come home, home," Psaki said. "We are in touch with them via phone, via text, via e-mail, via any way that we can possibly reach Americans to get them home if they want to return home."

TODAY: Biden's Pentagon Spokesman: “We have Americans that get stranded in countries all the time”LAST WEEK: Bide… https://t.co/kNUwNbf6Gc

— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) 1630415890.0

Kirby on Tuesday added that he didn't have an "exact figure" for the number of Americans left in Afghanistan, but said he estimates the figure is "probably in the low hundreds."