At least three California families that were trapped in Kabul have been successfully evacuated from Afghanistan.
Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA 50th District), who has been working to bring San Diego area families back to the United States amid the Taliban takeover, confirmed to DailyMail.com that 13 individuals had been freed.
Earlier Thursday, the Cajon Valley Union School District confirmed that a family of eight — six children and two adults — had safely evacuated Afghanistan and arrived in the U.S. It is unclear if they have made it back to California yet.
Officials are not clear on specifically how many Californians remain trapped in Afghanistan at this time, however, they are working around-the-clock to help bring people home, Issa said.
Sixteen parents and more than two-dozen students, ranging from preschoolers to high schoolers, from the San Diego suburb of El Cajon, which has a large Afghan refugee population, traveled to Afghanistan over summer break to visit grandparents and other relatives.
The families are among an estimated 1,500 Americans still trapped in Afghanistan following a rapid Taliban takeover of the country on the heels of the US pulling out after a 20-year occupation.
Six California students trapped in Afghanistan have returned to the United States while at least 18 others and their parents remain stranded in the country. The families are among thousands of Americans still trapped in Afghanistan following a rapid Taliban takeover of the country on the heels of the US pulling out after a 20-year occupation (Pictured: Kabul airport on Aug. 26)
A spokesperson for Rep. Issa says the congressman's office aided in the successful freeing of two San Diego families who were trapped in Kabul, totaling 13 people. They are actively working to free more individuals
Issa was contacted by local school officials, as well as several families, indicating that families with several children were among those trapped in Kabul.
After working non-stop for more than a week, the congressman and his staff were able to begin the successful process of getting people out of the Taliban-controlled country.
'This is great news, the result of tireless work by our team to ensure that our people aren't left behind in Afghanistan,' Issa said in a press release.
'But while we have made extraordinary progress, there are so many more Americans stranded in Afghanistan. We have more work to do and under extremely difficult conditions.'
Issa said that while he 'could not be more pleased at what has been achieved so far,' the evacuation of these two families is only the 'start to finally bringing our community back together and bringing our people home'.
The representative's office notes that while these families have been evacuated from Afghanistan, they have not yet made it back to the states.
Meanwhile, the Cajon Valley Union School District announced that one family has returned home safely.
Fraidoon Hashemi , an Afghan who works as community liaison for the school district, says the El Cajon families, like many in Kabul, have witnessed shootings and other violence in and around the airport in recent days, noting: 'Nobody is doing well'
'One of our families did arrive in the United States and are home safe. Which we are completely ecstatic about,' Michael Serban, Director of Family and Community Engagement, told NBC 7.
Fraidoon Hashemi, an Afghan who works as community liaison for the school district, says the El Cajon families, like many in Kabul, have witnessed shootings and other violence in and around the airport in recent days.
They have been blocked by the throngs of Afghans at the Kabul airport desperately trying to escape following their government's rapid collapse and the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
'Nobody is doing well,' said Hashemi, who has spoken to the families.
'They are trying their best to get to the airport, get to their gates and get on an airplane. The situation is very horrible.'
The families have asked the U.S. government for help after being unable to board their flights back to California.
Issa says he is 'working diligently to determine the facts on the ground, any bureaucratic barriers that can be removed, and the best ways to help those stranded leave Afghanistan and return home safely'.
'We won't stop until we have answers and action,' he wrote in a statement provided to NBC 7.
His office told the TV station that the rest of the El Cajon families could return home as early as Friday morning.
However, he said there are still several other San Diego area families trapped in Afghanistan. Issa has reached out to the White House and state department for assistance.
'Initially it was three families, then six families… and it continues to grow. So, it's now dozens of people from our region. I want to make it clear, we're not worried about if they are in the 50th, or slightly over where the artificial line is, and neither is Sara Jacobs. This is for all of us to be doing,' Issa said.
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA 53rd District) echoed Issa's claim saying:
'Heartbreaking to see so many local folks, including so many kids, unable to get out of Afghanistan. My office has been working on hundreds of similar cases, and it underscores how great the need is to get American citizens, Afghan allies, and partners out.'
Rep. Darrell Issa tweeted on Wednesday that he was working wit the federal government to get the El Cajon families home
The families had each traveled on their own on different dates and were not part of an organized trip.
School Board President Tamara Otero said the families had tickets to fly out of Afghanistan, 'but unfortunately they were not able to get to the airport.'
'The biggest concern is that the Taliban closed the airport,' Otero said.
The Cajon Valley Union School District became aware of the problem after a relative of one of the families reached out to say their child would be late starting the school year, which began Aug. 17.
Many of the families arrived in Afghanistan in early May and June, months before the crisis unfolded and the country's president fled as the Taliban seized power.
Superintendent David Miyashiro said the families are particularly scared because of the upcoming Aug. 31 deadline for the United States to end its withdrawal.
'Just like you and I, they had used the summer to go back to see their relatives,' Miyashiro told NBC 7. 'No one felt that were going to be unsafe or unable to return.'
'What happened in Afghanistan was unexpected for everybody,' echoed Hashemi.
'Everyone was shocked that in one week, everything changed.'
The district said it could not provide more details about the stranded families since the children and their parents could be in danger.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan. It was unclear if that included all the El Cajon families. Some are U.S. citizens; others have U.S. residency.
Despite travel warnings from the U.S. government, many felt an urgency to go to the country after not being able to see their extended families because of travel bans from the coronavirus pandemic, Hashemi said.
School Board President Tamara Otero said the families had tickets to fly out of Afghanistan, 'but unfortunately they were not able to get to the airport.' Adding: 'The biggest concern is that the Taliban closed the airport' (Pictured: Evacuation at Kabul airport on Aug. 24)
Michael Serban said that although families are trapped, officials still have 'a lot of hope'
Most of the El Cajon families came to the United States on a special immigrant visa after having worked for the U.S. government or U.S. military in Afghanistan, officials said. The visa allows in only the person and their spouse and children.
Hashemi, who came to the United States on a special visa in 2015 and is now a U.S. citizen, said he normally would have also gone back to Afghanistan for summer vacation so his four children could visit their grandma.
However, his family did not travel this year because his son's passport had expired during the pandemic. He feels fortunate now for having been inconvenienced.
Hashemi said the students will likely need a lot of support when they return.
'I´m sure they are going to be affected emotionally,' he said, adding: 'Their teachers miss them. We all miss them. We hope to see them all back to school.'
Cajon Valley school board president Tamara Otero said it's been stressful too for those waiting for their return.
'It's killing us right now,' Otero told The San Diego Union-Tribune. 'We are so worried about our students that are stuck there. We'll do the best we can to get them out.'
While there is still a lot of fear amongst the El Cajon families, district leaders also say they are hopeful.
'There is just a lot of hope,' said Serban.
'We know that one family arrived today back to the United States and are home safe — we still have approximately six others — information changes, but that is where we are at right now – we are happy to have at least one family home right now.'
El Cajon resident, Navy veteran, and former intelligence analyst, Amanda Matti told DailyMail.com Wednesday that she was working with Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, Rep. Jacobs, and a group of volunteers to help an El Cajon family of six get into the airport.
Matti, who lives in El Cajon, declined to give further information about the family they are currently helping until they are safely inside. 'They are literally stuck at the West gate right now.'
She was first connected to the family a few years ago when her non-profit volunteer group helped them resettle in El Cajon.
Matti also noted that last weekend she helped a former El Cajon family of five escape Afghanistan. That family was flown to Washington DC and will head to their current home in Portland, Oregon.
El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, also speaking with DailyMail.com Wednesday, said that he is 'sick over what's happening in Afghanistan. This is a shameful chapter for our country.'
He confirmed that Rep. Issa's office has taken charge of the situation.
'Being the mayor of a city, I have limited ability to help with foreign affairs but I will do anything that I can,' he said.
During Wednesday's press conference Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, was asked about the El Cajon families but referred the question to the State Department.
President Biden announced Tuesday that he plans to stick to his original deadline to have all Americans evacuated from Afghanistan by the end of the month.
Over the weekend, US military officials reported they have been forced to find new routes to Kabul's international airport as the ISIS-K terror group posed a threat to citizens and Afghan allies. The Afghan capital's airport remains the only way in or out of the country.
San Diego County has been hub for refugees since the Vietnam War providing yet another comparison of the Taliban's take over of Afghanistan to the fall of Saigon.
Records show that following the fall of the Vietnam's largest city over 50,000 refugees flocked to San Diego County within six months. Social services were set up in the area to process and aid the influx of people.
This paved a path for other waves of displaced people to come to the area making it a hub for refugees.
From 2016 to 2020 San Diego County saw thousands of Afghan refugees escape to the area. The US Refugee Admissions Program prioritizes relocating people to places where they have established families or communities pushing the current relocation of Afghan refugees to San Diego County.
