MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR, Maria Kari Law Office to Announce Lawsuit Against State Department for Abandoning Palestinian-Americans in Gaza Genocide

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 12/19/2024) – This morning, the Sacramento Valley/Central California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR SV/CC) will hold a virtual press conference to announce the filing of a lawsuit in conjunction with CAIR New Jersey, CAIR Chicago, and the Law Office of Maria Kari against the State Department for failing to evacuate American citizens, American legal residents, and the family members of Americans trapped under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. WHAT: CAIR-SV/CC virtual press conference announcing lawsuit against the State Department WHEN: Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, 9:30 a.m. WHERE: Virtual (Zoom): bit.ly/CAIRSVCCpressconference LIVESTREAM: https://www.facebook.com/cairsvcc/ (uploaded to Facebook after the conference) WHO:

• Reshad Noorzay, CAIR-SV/CC Executive Director
• Layli Shirani, CAIR-SV/CC Managing Civil Rights Attorney
• Family Representative of the Plaintiff

WHY: In the last fourteenth months, at least 45,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Palestinian-Americans are trapped amidst the destruction, some facing a severe risk of losing their own lives while others need urgent medical treatment. SEE: Chicago area woman’s family stuck in Gaza, suing Biden administration to force evacuation While the State Department has acted promptly to evacuate similarly situated Americans of different backgrounds in other conflict zones, including Israeli-Americans after Oct. 7, it has failed to promptly evacuate Palestinian-Americans from Gaza. The lawsuit challenges th