An Indian-American CEO of SardineAI, a US-based startup, said US is not doing anything to rescue its citizens stranded in Middle East and it’s difficult to watch other countries like the UK, France, Italy, India repatriating their citizens while the US government abandoned their citizens. “I am a proud US citizen and founder of a successful startup that employs 94 employees in the US and 180+ employees globally. I was in Dubai on a business trip meeting with financial institutions to help them fight financial fraud in the region, but now I am stranded,” Ranjan posted on X. “After 4 days of adrenalin and constant fear, I feel demoralised and abandoned by our government. It’s difficult watching other countries – UK, Israel, Spain, Italy and India – repatriate their citizens or ensure that commercial flights continue operating to bring them home,” the post added.
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“I became a naturalized US citizen because I believe in the American dream, and the idea that in a crisis, America never leaves its citizens behind. I see that American dream being shattered not just for me, but for tens of thousands of other Americans left stranded,” Ranjan wrote, adding that he booked a dozen flights as the US government has been urging people to leave Dubai but all those flights are getting canceled. Ranjan noted that US-bound commercial flights are getting canceled while flights to other countries are operating. The US State Department is facing a massive backlash as the crisis enters its fifth day without any US government plan to evacuate its citizens. The State Department issued a helpline number (1-202-501-4444) for assistance with departure options. The government has also urged its citizens in Dubai to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to receive updates. “I am enrolled in Step and have only received generic messages. Further, on calling that number, the message you get is: ‘Please don’t rely on the USG for assisted departure or evacuation at this point. There are currently no evacuation flights at this time’,” Ranjan said. “With funding cuts to the US consulates and with attacks on US embassies in the region, there’s no one that Americans can reach out to in the broader GCC region. Can we set up an emergency hotline within the US that actually works, and that has someone who is taking down more details?” the Indian-origin CEO wrote.
