Two dozen students from San Diego, California, and their families are trapped in Afghanistan

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The six families trapped in Afghanistan were there to visit relatives, said Howard Shen, a spokesman for the Cajon Valley Union school district.

“There’s not much we can do right now,” Shen said. “At least we have contact with them.”

The school district, which serves 16,000 to 17,000 preschool students through eighth grade, is home to a large immigrant and refugee population, mostly from Afghanistan and Iraq. District officials have contacted U.S. Representative Darrell Issa for help returning affected families to the United States.

Issa and his staff “are aware of the location of several U.S. citizens” and are in direct and consistent contact with them, said Jonathan Wilcox, a spokesman for the representative.

“They are scared, stranded and trapped in the Kabul area,” Wilcox said in a statement. “So far, they haven’t been able to get to the airport. I know the president and his press secretary have said before that this is not happening, but this is completely wrong.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that there are about 1,500 people who could be Americans in Afghanistan while evacuation operations continue. And while the pace of these evacuations has risen significantly in recent days, Biden administration officials have expressed concern about security at Kabul airport.

The United States has evacuated at least 4,500 Americans since Aug. 14 and more than 500 just last day, Blinken said, adding that “for the past 24 hours we have been in direct contact with about 500 Americans. and we have provided specific instructions on how to get to the airport safely. “

“For the approximately 1,000 remaining contacts we have had, which may be Americans who want to leave Afghanistan, we are aggressively contacting them several times a day through multiple communication channels,” he added.

About 1,500 people who may be Americans remain in Afghanistan, Blinken says

Asked about the Southern California student group at a White House briefing Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “I’m sure I don’t have any additional information on this.”

Wilcox said Issa and his staff are “in constant contact” with the State Department, the Pentagon and other people on the ground in Afghanistan.

“We have reason to believe that other California residents are very much in the same situation,” Wilcox said. “That’s real.”

Shen, the district spokesman, was unable to provide details on whether anyone in the group has been injured amid crowds of people hoping to flee the country or whether the six families are together. Shen also noted that it is unclear if any progress is being made.

“The situation is fluid, but we hope they come back,” Shen said. “That’s the hope.”

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