Congressman Scolds California Families Trapped in Afghanistan: ‘It Was Very Inappropriate’ to Travel There

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) on Thursday chastised the Southern California families trapped in Afghanistan, saying it was “very inappropriate” for them to ignore warnings from the State Department.

“There were direct warnings from the State Department they should not have gone,” Gallego said in an interview on MSNBC. “It is an unstable region. In the summer, there were multiple, multiple warnings. And I just want to point out this is the kind of thing [where] you should be listening to the State Department, because now we’re going to put men and women’s lives in danger trying to get these groups of students. It’s not the students’ fault but it’s certainly the parents’ faults, or any adult who allowed this to happen.”

The missing people include 24 students ranging in age from preschool to high school along with 12 parents from the Cajon Valley Union School District who traveled to the country to visit family members. The school learned that they were missing after the school year began August 17. Taliban fighters invaded Afghanistan’s capital of Kabul on August 15.

“There will have to be some very dangerous missions to get them out, and it is ridiculous that they did not listen to the State Department’s warnings earlier in the year,” Gallego said. “And also, by the way, the warnings to leave. The State Department had many warnings throughout the summer encouraging Americans to leave Afghanistan and it is extremely irresponsible that they did not do it.”

Gallego also said there was still a active operation to evacuate Americans, though he did not provide specifics. “You should still call the State Department, because we need to figure out where you are,” Gallego said. “There are operations still leaving from the airfield — I won’t go into details — to pick up U.S. citizens. So continue to give us information about where you are so … we can pass on that information.”

The State Department’s Afghanistan Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson expressed a sentiment similar to Gallego’s on Wednesday, saying in an interview, “People chose not to leave. That’s their business.”

Watch above via MSNBC.