Federal law charges Americans for rescue flights from Israel while illegals get free travel, hotels

Thousands of Americans are looking to flee Israel amid fighting between the government and Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. government is moving to provide them assistance, but not for free.

Over the weekend, Hamas terrorists based in the Gaza Strip stormed a number of Israeli border towns, taking hostages, raping women and inflicting considerable human casualties, including infanticide. The Israel Defense Forces have since launched retaliatory strikes on Gaza and the conflict is ongoing. The State Department confirmed on Thursday that it was working to arrange charter flights for American citizens and their immediate family members.

Flights are slated to begin tomorrow, nearly a week after the first attack. The plight of Americans still inside the country has prompted criticism of the White House for not swiftly removed U.S. citizens.

"[I]t's a failure once again, on the Biden administration," Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast in an interview to be aired Friday. "The same thing happened in Afghanistan, when you know, countless Americans were stranded there in Afghanistan, when Biden pulled our military out and allowed the Taliban to take over the country."

"And now we have Americans stranded in Israel. And then we've got, we think 27 Americans have been murdered by Hamas, and approximately 14 are unaccounted for likely held, as you know, by Hamas, and we don't know what their condition is," she continued. "We don't have their whereabouts. So yes, there's so much to be concerned about. The message that's been sent over and over again to the American people from Joe Biden's administration and all of the Democrats in charge is 'you're not safe if you are overseas and you're not safe at home,' because they've allowed our border to be invaded."

U.S. law requires billing Americans for evacuations.

"The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas, including U.S. government personnel and their dependents.  The State Department has teams communicating 24/7 with U.S. citizens and providing them assistance through phone calls, an online form, and the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program," a State Department spokesperson told Just the News. "U.S. citizens in need of assistance should complete the crisis intake form on travel.state.gov, and we will continue to provide updates to U.S. citizens who have registered via our online crisis intake form as information becomes available."

"U.S. law requires that departure assistance to private U.S. citizens and third country nationals generally be provided via a loan from the U.S. government. It requires that U.S. government coordinated evacuation of private U.S. citizens or third country nationals be provided 'on a reimbursable basis to the maximum extent practicable,'" the spokesperson continued. "U.S. citizen and third country national passengers on U.S. government-coordinated evacuations are generally required to sign a promissory note, which is a form attesting to their agreement to repay the U.S. government."

"The note explains the conditions of the loan, the repayment process, and other terms.  Upon their return to the United States, private U.S. citizen and third-country national passengers will be billed by the Department’s Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services (CGFS)," the spokesperson said. "The amount billed will be based on the cost of a full-fare economy flight, or comparable alternate transportation, to the designated destination(s) that would have been charged immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation."

The Department's crisis intake form allows those seeking assistance in fleeing the conflict to request aid in the form of passport and visa assistance or through a government loan to buy a commercial ticket. Multiple State Department emails sent to Americans seeking to leave reiterated that departure assistance would require recipients to sign an agreement to repay the cost of their fare. Moreover, Americans will not be able to choose their destination and will fly to Cyprus, Greece, or Germany, from whence they may choose a new destination. Subsequent trips do not appear to be covered.

Federal law promulgated in 1986 authorizes the Secretary of State to "make expenditures, from such amounts as may be specifically appropriated therefor, for unforeseen emergencies arising in the diplomatic and consular service." Called the "Repatriation Loan Program", the law states, among other requirements, that U.S. citizens must sign "a written loan agreement which includes a repayment schedule."

The law also states that "no reimbursement under this clause shall be paid that is greater than the amount the person evacuated would have been charged for a reasonable commercial air fare immediately prior to the events giving rise to the evacuation."

Meanwhile, illegal immigrants collect free assistance.

Ironically, the billing of American citizens for emergency evacuation flights out of war zones stands in stark contrast to the Biden administration's generous financial support for the accommodation and relocation of illegal immigrants to the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has reported more than 6 million encounters at the southwest land border since Oct. 2020. Many of these illegal entrants – unlike U.S. citizens – receive considerable financial aid from taxpayers.

In November 2021, Just the News highlighted the work of non-profit organizations operating in conjunction with the Biden administration to support illegals in a variety of ways. Upon arrival, many migrants receive "welcome packets" with itineraries and travel information for moving inside the U.S. Often at the expense of taxpayers, they also get free hotel rooms, plane tickets, travel maps, and instructions on how to avoid TSA photo requirements.

New York City spent an estimated $1.7 billion on shelter, food, and other services for immigrants through the end of July, and Chicago expects to have spent $255.7 million between August 2022 and the end of 2023, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The government in 2021 also reportedly conducted "ghost flights" to move illegal immigrants within the United States in what Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis termed a "human smuggling operation."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.