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Americans Stranded in Middle East Criticize U.S. Evacuation Response as War Expands
As Israeli-U.S. attacks on Iran rapidly escalated into a wider regional conflict, thousands of Americans found themselves scrambling to evacuate the Middle East, with many criticizing what they describe as inadequate support from U.S. authorities.
Travel blogger Alyssa Ramos endured a grueling 48-hour journey across four continents to return home from Kuwait. “They keep going on the news and saying they’re doing everything they can to get Americans out,” Ramos said after landing in Miami on Thursday. “I know for a fact they’re not.”
Ramos reported repeatedly contacting the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, only to be redirected to the consular section, which advised her to enroll in the U.S. smart traveler program and shelter in place rather than offering evacuation assistance.
Her experience mirrors that of many Americans caught in the expanding conflict zone, which has affected more than a dozen countries across the Middle East. Travelers faced closed airports, canceled flights, and what many described as alarming but unhelpful U.S. government guidance.
Susan Daley, a Chicago resident on a business trip to the United Arab Emirates when hostilities began on February 28, finally reached the U.S. Thursday on the first commercial flight from Dubai to San Francisco since the war started. “Having the State Department tell us, ‘You need to get out immediately’ but there’s no help, so you’re on your own to get your own travel plans,” Daley said. “That was the most stressful thing.”
The Trump administration has defended its response amid mounting criticism. State Department officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that 30-40% of Americans offered seats on charter flights either declined or failed to show up. They noted that approximately 13,000 Americans had contacted the department regarding assistance leaving the region, though not all requested evacuation.
According to the State Department, the first government-chartered repatriation flight returned from the Middle East on Thursday, with more planned daily. As of Friday, about 24,000 Americans had returned to the U.S. since the war began, with the vast majority arranging commercial transportation independently.
In the absence of official assistance, travelers turned to grassroots solutions. Ramos created WhatsApp groups that quickly grew to include more than 2,200 people sharing information about routes out of Dubai, Doha, and Kuwait. Group members organized shared rides to operational airports, recommended trusted drivers, and advised on prices and accepted currencies.
Cory McKane, another American stranded in Dubai, described his escape via Oman. Rather than risk Dubai’s crowded airport, McKane and friends drove to the Omani border, where taxi drivers were charging up to $650 for transport to Muscat’s still-functioning airport.
“Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the U.S. has not done a single thing in any capacity. That’s been really disappointing,” McKane said.
Jason Altmire, a former Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, managed to leave Dubai after UAE partially reopened its airspace. “We never heard anything from the State Department other than the general email advising us to find our own way out,” Altmire said. “I found this, along with the ‘you’re on your own’ State Department voicemail, to be infuriating.”
Democratic lawmakers have criticized the administration’s response. In a Tuesday letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, they called “the lack of clear preparation, planning, and communication to Americans abroad unacceptable and a violation of the State Department’s basic mission.”
Rubio defended the department’s efforts, citing challenges from airspace closures while promising that “we’re going to be able to help them,” though warning “it’s going to take a little time.”
Commercial flight options have been severely limited since the conflict began. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, over 29,000 of approximately 51,000 scheduled flights in or out of Middle East airports were canceled as of Friday. However, air traffic is gradually increasing, with Dubai Airports reporting over 1,140 flights facilitated in recent days.
Emirates announced Friday it expects to restore full flight operations soon, depending on airspace access and conditions. The airline transported about 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on Thursday alone.
While Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have emerged as key exit routes, airspace over Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Syria remained closed according to flight tracking data. Azerbaijan also closed part of its airspace Thursday after accusing Iran of a drone attack on its territory.
Trenten Higgins, who escaped Israel by taxi to Jordan before flying to New York, summed up many evacuees’ frustrations: “Every alert that they gave and all the advice they gave was a day at least too late. Even when it wasn’t too late, it was impossible to act upon and then they would just hang up.”
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16 Comments
The experiences of these stranded Americans highlight serious flaws in the government’s emergency evacuation procedures. Embassies should be able to provide clear guidance and practical assistance to citizens caught in conflict zones, not just tell them to fend for themselves.
I agree, the government’s failure to support these citizens is very concerning. They need to improve their crisis response capabilities to ensure they can effectively evacuate Americans in dangerous situations abroad.
The U.S. government’s poor response to this crisis raises serious questions. Surely they have the resources and capabilities to efficiently evacuate citizens caught in the middle of a war. This situation highlights the need for better emergency planning.
Agreed, the government’s inadequate support for these stranded Americans is very concerning. They deserve better preparedness and assistance from their own country in such a dangerous situation.
This is a concerning situation. The U.S. government should have robust contingency plans in place to quickly evacuate citizens from war zones. Stranded travelers facing closed airports and canceled flights must have been terrified.
Absolutely, the government needs to do better at protecting Americans abroad, especially in rapidly escalating conflicts. Leaving citizens to fend for themselves is unacceptable.
The government’s failure to properly support these stranded Americans is very concerning. Embassies should have robust contingency plans to quickly evacuate citizens from war zones, not just redirect them to enroll in travel programs. This crisis highlights a serious gap in the government’s emergency response capabilities.
I agree, the government’s poor handling of this situation is deeply troubling. Travelers in such dangerous conditions deserve much better assistance and guidance from their own country’s authorities.
This is a disturbing breakdown in the government’s duty of care for its citizens overseas. Stranded Americans deserve much better support and guidance from their embassies during an emergency like this. The U.S. needs to review its crisis response protocols.
Absolutely, the government’s inadequate assistance to these travelers is unacceptable. They should be able to rely on their embassy for help, not just be told to shelter in place and fend for themselves.
Disappointing to hear the U.S. government provided so little help to Americans caught in the Middle East during the conflict. It’s concerning that embassies seemed unprepared to assist their citizens in an emergency evacuation situation.
I agree, the lack of government support is troubling. Travelers shouldn’t have had to face such logistical challenges and uncertainty when trying to get home safely.
This is a troubling breakdown in the government’s duty of care for its citizens abroad. Stranded Americans faced enormous uncertainty and risk, with embassies seemingly unprepared to provide meaningful support or evacuation assistance. The U.S. needs to urgently review its crisis response protocols to ensure it can effectively protect citizens caught in conflicts overseas.
Absolutely, the government’s failure to assist these travelers is unacceptable. They should be able to rely on their embassy for clear guidance and practical help, not just be told to shelter in place and fend for themselves. This crisis highlights serious gaps in the government’s emergency response capabilities.
This is a worrying breakdown in the government’s duty to its citizens. Travelers should be able to rely on their embassy for help in an emergency, not just be told to shelter in place. The U.S. needs to reevaluate its crisis response capabilities.
Absolutely, the lack of government support and coordination is unacceptable. Stranded Americans faced tremendous uncertainty and risk, which the U.S. should have been better equipped to mitigate.