Gallego Calls Out Trump Admin for Leaving U.S. Citizens Stranded in the Middle East

WASHINGTON –Today,Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)called out the Trump administration for sending anadvisorythree full days after beginning strikes on Iran. The advisory directed American citizens to “depart now” from more than a dozen countries across the Middle East without providing any avenues to do so. This decision puts Americans at risk and suggests a disturbing lack of planning before initiating hostilities with an adversary notorious for targeting Americans abroad.
READ MORE:Sen. Ruben Gallego rips State Dept. for Americans stuck in Middle East(The Arizona Republic)
“I write with deep concern regarding the Department of State’s abdication of its responsibilities to protect U.S. citizens in the Middle East amid the administration’s initiation of hostilities with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Recent developments in the region have exposed a disturbing dissonance between the Department’s public exhortations that Americans leave the region and complete lack of assistance available to U.S. nationals to effectuate their departure from the region,”Senator Gallego wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.“Advising Americans to “depart now” without a credible plan to help them do so puts American lives at risk, and raises serious questions about the Department’s preparedness, risk assessment processes, and prioritization of citizen safety. These risks only increase with each passing day that the war with Iran continues.”
The State Department has advised Americans in the Middle East to use available commercial transportation to evacuate. However, commercial airspace in much of the region has been closed and flights have been widely canceled, restricting U.S. citizens’ ability to follow that guidance. Additionally, U.S. embassies in several countries have been damaged, closed, or evacuated, and are not in a position to provide meaningful evacuation assistance, leaving many U.S. citizens effectively stranded.
“Issuing a blanket advisory while providing no concrete evacuation options is unacceptable. The U.S. government’s first obligation is to protect the lives and safety of its citizens, especially when its own foreign policy and military decisions materially increase the risks those citizens face,”Senator Gallego continued.“A travel advisory that lacks a coherent operational plan for facilitating departure from conflict zones is tantamount to abandonment, particularly in the case of hostilities with an adversary notorious for targeting Americans abroad.”
Read the full letterHERE.
Senator Gallego played an important role infacilitating the safe returnof 33 American students, including 17 from Arizona, during the June, 2025 Israel-Iran conflict.