Lance Cpl. Dominique Sparacino sweeps through an area during Mountain Exercise 2014 aboard Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, Calif., Sept. 8, 2014. Sparacino is an assaultman with 2nd Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. Marines with 3/1 will become the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s ground combat element in October.
/ (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Emmanuel Ramos/Released)
The U.S. Department of State was over two months late to California Republican Rep. Mike Garcia’s urgent request to help get a group of allies out of Afghanistan, according to emails exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Garcia’s office initially reached out to the State Department on Aug. 22 and didn’t receive a response until Nov. 2.
The emails concerned five cases of either individuals approved for Special Immigrant Visas or applicants of the program. One of those cases, a family, made it to America without the help of the State Department, according to Garcia’s office.
On August 22nd – my office reached out to the State Department about a SIV applicant that we were aware was stuck in Afghanistan. We followed up multiple times and did not receive any assistance from the State Dept.
— Rep. Mike Garcia (@RepMikeGarcia) November 2, 2021
Today – on Nov. 2nd – the State Department finally got back to us. Their significantly delayed response (72 days later) is now irrelevant since my office was able to thankfully help the family evacuate on Aug. 24th.
— Rep. Mike Garcia (@RepMikeGarcia) November 2, 2021
This exemplifies how disastrous the State Department’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal is.
— Rep. Mike Garcia (@RepMikeGarcia) November 2, 2021
Despite the Admin’s failure to evacuate Americans & Afghan allies from Afghanistan – w/ at least 450 Americans still stranded – I’m pleased my office has been able to help 108 Americans & Afghan allies evacuate. I’ll continue to do all I can to help those still stranded.
— Rep. Mike Garcia (@RepMikeGarcia) November 2, 2021
Garcia’s Communications Director, Molly Jenkins, told the DCNF that most of the other emails their office sent to State Department were manifest lists. Jenkins said that they never expected State to respond to those emails given that they hadn’t heard back from the earlier request “in a timely manner” in addition to the department changing the formats and points of contact.
Read more at The Daily Caller
