Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker sent a letter Wednesday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for more action from the State Department to help Americans evacuate the Middle East.
In the letter sent to Rubio and Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Nora Namdar, and first obtained by CBS News, Pritzker said that Illinois lawmakers have received “numerous requests from U.S. citizens seeking additional support to return to the United States.”
He called on the State Department to announce a plan to use charter flights or military aircraft to assist Americans trying to leave the region, explore emergency contracts with charter companies or commercial airlines, and provide clear guidance on how to sign up for flights.
Pritzker also called for the State Department to identify safe locations to set up temporary diplomatic posts in areas where the U.S. embassies have been attacked or destroyed, and to authorize an emergency deployment of foreign service officers to alleviate challenges facing embassy staff.
When asked for reaction to Pritzker’s letter, the State Department referred to a media release about their work so far to assist citizens looking to leave the region. They also pointed to social media posts of officials sharing information on the departments task force hot line, or how to register with the department’s Smart Traveler Program (STEP) to enable embassies and consulates to contact them.
The State Department says that 9,000 American citizens have returned from the Middle East since the start of war, and about 1,500 are requesting assistance with their departure. More than one million Americans are believed to be in the region, a source told CBS News.
The State Department has urged Americans to leave 14 countries across the Middle East. It said Tuesday afternoon it would waive any requirement for citizens to reimburse the government for travel expenses, and that it was already facilitating charter flights from four countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt.
Rubio said Tuesday the State Department is trying to carry out their plan to evacuate Americans, but that attacks on airports or airspace closures by countries have created problems.
In addition to briefings Rubio gave on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, State Department staff held a call with congressional and gubernatorial offices about the war in Iran, according to two sources familiar with the call.
One source on the call said they did not provide enough details on how Americans in the region can leave, or instill confidence that there’s a plan to transport stuck Americans out of the region.
The State Department said Americans who need the government’s help arranging travel could call +1-202-501-4444 from abroad or +1-888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada.