Representative Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) said Thursday on MSNBC’s “Deadline” that the 24 students ranging in age from preschool to high school with 12 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District in California, trapped in Afghanistan, were “very inappropriate” for ignoring warnings from the State Department.
Gallego said, “Call the State Department because we need to figure out where you are. There are operations leading from the airfield. I won’t go into detail to pick up U.S. citizens. Continue to give us information about where you are so we know exactly where you are so we can pass on that information and plan to work with other people like I’ve been working to get this done.”
He continued, “The other thing I would say is that it was very inappropriate for those family members to go to Afghanistan. There were direct warnings from the State Department they should not have gone. It is an unstable region. In the summer, there were multiple multiple warnings. And I just want to point out this is the kind of thing where you should be listening to the State Department because now we’re going to put men and women’s lives in danger trying to get these groups of students. It’s not the students’ fault, but it’s certainly the parents’ faults or any adult who allowed this to happen.”
Gallego added, “There will have to be some very dangerous missions to get them out, and it is ridiculous that they did not listen to the State Department’s warnings earlier in the year. And also, by the way, the warnings to leave. The State Department had many warnings throughout the summer encouraging Americans to leave Afghanistan, and it is extremely irresponsible that they did not do it.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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