Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Thursday, Aug. 26. I’m Justin Ray.
Among thousands of individuals waiting to leave Afghanistan are at least 24 students and 16 parents from San Diego County.
The families from the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon were taking a summer trip abroad. Cajon Valley School Board President Tamara Otero said the families had tickets to fly out of Afghanistan, “but unfortunately they were not able to get to the airport.”
“The biggest concern is that the Taliban closed the airport,” Otero said. “We are so worried about our students that are stuck there. We’ll do the best we can to get them out.”
Cajon Valley Supt. David Miyashiro told school board members via text message that he and other staff met virtually with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Bonsall) and his staff about the situation. He said the families are on special visas for U.S. military service and that the Department of Defense considers them allies.
Miyashiro said the district provided information on the families and that government officials are working to locate them.
“Congressman Issa and his staff are working diligently to determine the facts on the ground, any bureaucratic barriers that can be removed, and the best ways to help those stranded leave Afghanistan and return home safely. We won’t stop until we have answers and action,” Jonathan Wilcox of Issa’s office wrote via email, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The families were not part of an organized trip, having traveled on different dates, according to television station KTLA. Fraidoon Hassemi, an Afghan who works as community liaison for the El Cajon Valley Union School District, has spoken to the families, KTLA reported. “Nobody is doing well,” Hassemi said. “They are trying their best to get to the airport, get to their gates and get on an airplane. The situation is very horrible.”
When asked about the families, a State Department spokesperson told The Times: “As President Biden and [Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken] have made clear, our first priority is the evacuation of American citizens from Afghanistan. We have been in communication with American citizens in Afghanistan, providing guidance to those interested in repatriation regarding when and how they should travel to the airport compound. This is a dynamic and volatile security environment, and we take seriously the priority we attach to the safety and security of American citizens.”
Biden declared Tuesday that he was sticking to his Aug. 31 deadline for completing the U.S. pullout as the Taliban insisted he must. Blinken said Wednesday there are about 1,500 people who may be Americans remaining in Afghanistan as evacuation operations proceed.
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