More than 30 California children still stuck in Afghanistan

By JULIE WATSON | The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO — More than 30 California children are stuck successful Afghanistan aft they traveled to the state to spot their relatives weeks earlier the Taliban seized powerfulness and were incapable to get retired earlier U.S. forces left, according to schoolhouse districts wherever the kids are enrolled.

Officials with 3 schoolhouse districts — 1 successful the San Diego country and 2 successful Sacramento — said Wednesday that they person been successful interaction with the families who fearfulness they person been forgotten by the U.S. government. The officials said that immoderate of the children were calved successful the United States and are U.S. citizens.

Nearly each of the children returned to Afghanistan with 1 oregon some parents successful the outpouring oregon aboriginal summertime to sojourn relatives. The families traveled connected their ain to the state and were not portion of immoderate organized trips.

Many of the families arrived successful the U.S. years agone aft obtaining peculiar migrant visas granted to Afghans who had worked for the U.S. authorities oregon U.S. subject implicit the past 2 decades.

Some of the families told schoolhouse territory officials that they had made attempts to get connected planes astatine the airdrome successful Kabul but were incapable get done Taliban checkpoints oregon done the throngs of Afghans surrounding the airdrome implicit the past 2 weeks. The U.S. ended its evacuation efforts and withdrew its forces connected Monday.

In Sacramento, the San Juan Union School District said it had identified 27 students from 19 families enrolled successful the territory who said they person been incapable to get retired of Afghanistan and instrumentality home.

“These numbers proceed to alteration rapidly,” Raj Rai, a territory spokeswoman said successful an email to The Associated Press connected Wednesday. “We judge that immoderate of these families whitethorn beryllium successful transit retired of Afghanistan, arsenic we person not been capable to scope galore of them successful the past fewer days.”

Rai said the territory was moving with elected officials to assistance the families permission the country.

“San Juan Unified stands with our Afghan assemblage and each those whose loved ones are presently successful Afghanistan,” she said. “We sincerely anticipation for their speedy and harmless instrumentality backmost to the U.S. and backmost to our schoolhouse communities.”

The adjacent Sacramento City Unified School District said an Afghan migrant household with 3 children enrolled astatine Ethel I. Baker Elementary had contacted the territory to inquire for assistance successful getting retired of the country.

“The lone connection I tin accidental is heartbreaking,” said territory spokeswoman Tara Gallegos.

In the Cajon Valley Union School District successful a San Diego suburb with a ample exile population, 8 families reached retired to their children’s schools earlier classes started Aug. 17 to study that they were having occupation leaving Afghanistan.

Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California worked with the territory and U.S. authorities officials and 7 of the families person since made it retired of Afghanistan. Most are present backmost location successful the metropolis of El Cajon and immoderate of the students returned to people connected Monday.

But 1 household is inactive stuck successful Afghanistan, said Cajon Valley Union School District spokesperson Howard Shen.

District officials were successful interaction with household members, helium said, and trying to assistance them get out.