Americans living in Dubai detail delays in State Department evacuation assistance
An American says he has been waiting a long time for evacuation assistance after being evacuated from Dubai due to loud noises as the Iranian conflict escalated.
Emaan Abbas, American beauty consultant, I lived in Dubai for over 9 years. She said she lived there in peace until the war with Iran began on February 28. But when he started hearing loud thuds overhead from Iran’s counterattack against the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. ally, he decided it was time to leave.
Abbas started watching social media videos after seeing the headlines the weekend the war began. However, neither she nor her sister received any direct communication from the State Department.
She enrolled in the STEP program on March 2 because she could still hear “loud noises” overhead. This is a free service for U.S. citizens and nationals so that the State Department can contact them during emergencies. The MyTravel.gov website states that one of the program’s benefits is that it “assists you in contacting your embassy or consulate in the event of an emergency, such as a natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.”
Although she has not yet had direct contact, she said she has seen on social media that the U.S. government is urging Americans to evacuate certain countries in the Middle East, including the UAE.
Social media posts listed two numbers for Americans in need of emergency assistance. One of the phone numbers listed was not available internationally. She said the other was a recorded message with no instructions on how to exit.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on March 3 that the department would assist anyone in need.
“We are confident that we can help all Americans. As I said, right now we have about 1,500-plus, probably closer to 1,600 Americans requesting assistance,” Rubio said. “And we know we can help them. It’s going to take a little bit of time because we don’t have control over the airspace closures.”
Abbas booked his own flight to Cairo, where his family was staying. Her first flight was canceled and rescheduled to Saturday.
The first official communication from the department to her came via email on March 10th. “I have booked an evacuation flight from Dubai tomorrow”, meaning March 11th. She replied that she had already gotten off and would give her seat to someone else.
“It took 11 days of conflict before we heard back from the State Department. It’s disappointing to say the least,” Abbas said.
“The State Department has contacted every American who registered an interest in our assistance and provided personalized assistance,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott told USA TODAY in an email.
“The government hasn’t helped us at all.”
People like Abbas detailed their frustrations with seeking help. And just like her, many people are sharing their stories on social media.
Travelers like Alyssa Ramos, a self-proclaimed solo travel blogger and social media influencer, also criticized the U.S. response to evacuation assistance. On March 2, she posted a video on Instagram detailing her experience leaving Kuwait. “The U.S. government hasn’t helped us at all, even though they say they’re on the news,” she said.
Sasha Hoffman is an American from Boston stuck in the UAE. She was spending time abroad for work. She described the situation in which she was trying to leave Dubai as chaotic and confusing. “I think it was a very frustrating experience that they weren’t helpful at all, because as American taxpayers and American citizens, I felt like there were a lot of people who didn’t know what to do and felt really helpless and scared. There was no clear direction.”
In a statement to USA TODAY, State Department official Piggott said the department “has completed more than 70 flights since February 28, safely evacuating thousands of Americans from the Middle East.”
“Popular confusion”
The State Department has come under fire from some members of Congress, such as Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who wrote the letter to Rubio.
The letter asked for clarification on how the State Department planned to ensure the safety of Americans before the war began.
“The Department under your direction has not prioritized evacuating Americans from conflict zones or adequately preparing the U.S. embassy and personnel for the consequences of President Trump’s decision to go to war on February 28,” Meeks wrote. “It was on March 2 that Molla Namdar, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, posted on X for Americans, “Leave Now…Using Available Commercial Transportation” from 14 countries. But by then, commercial flights had largely ceased across the region, leaving Americans stranded. Conflicting messages telling Americans to leave the country without evacuation caused mass confusion.
Meeks also argued that the department could have raised the travel advisory to Level 4 weeks before the campaign began to allow diplomats and U.S. citizens to leave.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also criticized the Trump administration in a post shared on X.
“On the third day of the war, evacuation warnings were issued, airspace was closed, and no U.S. government aircraft were placed in service,” Schumer wrote. “This is what happens when you recklessly eviscerate the State Department under DOGE and rush into war without a plan.”
Asked why there was no plan to evacuate Americans, President Donald Trump said: “Because everything happened so suddenly.”
“In response to Operation Epic Fury, at 9 a.m. on February 28, the State Department quickly established a 24/7 task force to provide security guidance, travel assistance, and other assistance to Americans overseas,” Piggott said in a statement.
Travelers still stranded in Middle East during Iran war
Travelers in the Middle East are not only worried about their safety during the Iran war, but also worried about being stranded and unable to fly home.
Was the restructuring of the State Department a factor?
Last July, the State Department began cutting its workforce, affecting more than 1,300 people, including 246 diplomats.
Piggott said in a statement to USA TODAY that the cuts have not affected the State Department’s recent performance in the Middle East.
“RIF (force reduction) has not had an adverse impact on our ability to respond to this operation, our ability to plan, and our ability to perform service to the American people,” Piggott said. “In fact, we were able to respond more quickly and effectively. This was the whole point of the reorganization: empowering frontline staff while allowing them to move at the ‘speed of relevance’.”
John Dinkelman, president of the American Diplomatic Association, which represents more than 15,000 active and retired U.S. diplomats and diplomats, disputed the statement.
“Laying more than 1,300 people from an organization in such a haphazard manner will have a negative impact,” Dinkelman said.
“We caused this.”
“Depending on the emergency situation, the U.S. government may evacuate U.S. nationals to a safe location or provide other forms of exit assistance if commercial means are not available,” according to the State Department’s website.
It also said that in times of crisis, U.S. government-coordinated transportation will take place from dangerous areas to safe locations that are easily accessible. However, your destination may not be in the United States
The department also waived its legal obligation for Americans to reimburse the government for their travel expenses.
Dinkelman found the department’s response to the U.S. war on Iran particularly problematic. Because “unlike most of the things we deal with in emergencies, this one was caused by us.”
“The question in this story is what information was given to the State Department and when was it given?”
