CAIR-CA is joining other CAIR offices around the country to call on the U.S. State Department to immediately seek the quickest, safest, and most efficient way to bring home and repatriate the more than 400 American citizens and legal permanent residents (LPR) who are currently stranded in Yemen without flights due to the COVID-19 global health crisis.
The State Department has scheduled two flights on June 28 and July 1, departing from Aden, Yemen to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Washington-Dulles International Airport – but a number of CAIR-CA’s clients may be unable to board those flights because their passports or travel documents have expired while stranded in Yemen.
HOW COVID-19 STRANDED U.S. NATIONALS IN YEMEN
While Yemen is currently engaged in a long-standing war that has resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and famine, the COVID-19 global pandemic has only exacerbated the crisis in Yemen.
Many of the more than 400 American citizens and LPRs stranded in Yemen had intended on traveling to that country for a brief period of time and were scheduled to return to the U.S. at the end of March 2020.
Unfortunately, despite their previously booked travel arrangements, the airports in Yemen were closed prior to their return date leaving them stranded without adequate resources to provide for their continued stay, and leaving them at grave risk of exposure to COVID-19 as the health sector is collapsing under the crush of the war, famine and the Chikungunya virus.
Yemeni Americans or family members stranded abroad should register for messages via http://step.state.gov, monitor the website for the U.S. embassy of the country they are in and check the U.S. State Department for updates.
We remain here for you. If you or someone you know is stranded overseas due to the COVID-19 crisis, please call our office at 714.776.1177 or email us at civilrights@losangeles.cair.com.