On Thursday, The Gateway Pundit reported:
In a time when Americans in Israel are relying on their government for support and protection, the U.S. State Department’s Consular Affairs Crisis Management System (CACMS) has left many American citizens hanging in the wind, demanding them to sign promissory notes as a precondition for any assistance in evacuating from the crisis-hit region.
The so-called “assisted departure options” were outlined in an email sent to American citizens stranded in the Middle Eastern nation, stating that the U.S. government would offer loans for transportation.
The Biden regime’s assistance to Americans wishing to depart Israel will come at a financial cost. Specifically, the email states that “departure assistance is provided via a loan from the U.S. government, which requires travelers to sign a promissory note (an agreement to repay) prior to departure.”
This is the email sent to American citizens:
The situation in Israel is still unpredictable; mortar and rocket fire may take place without warning. Please continue to follow the instructions of security and emergency response officials. Commercial flights are available but limited. If you wish to leave Israel, we encourage you to take advantage of those options now. U.S. carriers have temporarily suspended flights to Israel, if you choose to depart, you will need to fly to an intermediate location and book onward travel from there to the United States.
We understand there is high demand from U.S. citizens wishing to depart and the flight options are reduced. In the coming days we hope to assist U.S. citizens with transportation options to depart Israel. Due to the large numbers of U.S. citizens indicating interest in departure assistance, we will plan to offer transit over several days. If you choose to take this departure assistance, transportation may be by air or sea and will be to a nearby safe location and not to the United States. Travelers should be prepared to arrange their own lodging at the safe location and pay for their own onward travel from the third country to their chosen destination. Departure assistance is provided via a loan from the U.S. government which requires travelers to sign a promissory note (an agreement to repay) prior to departure.
If you sneak across the southern border of America, you get a free plane ticket (paid for by Lord-knows who) to any city in America. If you are an American citizen and get stranded in a war zone unexpectedly, we will bring you home if you promise to pay. The world is upside down.
UPDATE: I have been told that the State Department has changed its mind on this, but I haven’t seen it reported anywhere.