- A group of US citizens and residents were evacuated from Kabul earlier this week.
- But
Homeland Security initially denied them entry, leaving them stranded in Abu Dhabi for 33 hours. - An activist who helped organize the flight said they had little food and slept on the airport floor.
More than 100 American evacuees from Kabul,
The evacuation flight, organized by the civilian rescue group Project Dynamo, arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport on Tuesday afternoon carrying 23 US citizens, 83 green card holders, and six Special Immigration Visa holders, the group said.
They were meant to continue flying to New York on a separate aircraft, but were blocked from entering all US ports by the Department of Homeland Security, which cited a lengthy screening process and a measles outbreak as causes for concern, the group said.
Jen Wilson, a volunteer with Project Dynamo, told Insider that the passengers, which included 59 children, were left stranded at a private charter terminal at Abu Dhabi airport as they waited for clearance to fly.
They landed in Abu Dhabi at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday and were stranded there until 1 a.m. ET on Thursday, when they were finally given permission to fly.
"There was one bathroom each for males and females, no food, no stores, not even a vending machine," Wilson told Insider. "So they were hungry and cold and had to sleep on the floor."
"It was heartbreaking. It was infuriating," she added. "Because we had just caught the high after we got them out and saved them."
Pictures on Project Dynamo's Instagram account showed children sleeping curled up on airport chairs while adults slept on the floor.
Another photo showed the group's founder, Bryan Stern, handing out McDonald's meals.
The State Department has not responded to Insider's request for comment on this story.
A department spokesperson acknowledged the situation on Tuesday, telling Insider in a statement: "All US-bound flights must follow the established safety, security, and health protocols before they are cleared for departure. This process requires flight manifests to be verified before departure to the US to ensure all passengers are screened appropriately."
Wilson said all passengers on board had been vaccinated against the measles, mumps, and rubella, and tested negative for COVID-19.
The group finally got clearance to fly to the US on Thursday and landed in Chicago that afternoon.
Despite the setback, Wilson said the passengers were just grateful to be free of the Taliban.
"They were trapped for the moment and it sucked, but they were at least safe," she said.
The US has evacuated more than 120,000 people from Afghanistan since August 14, the day before the Taliban seized control of Kabul, according to Sky News. It is unclear how many have been evacuated since the August 31 military-withdrawal deadline.
Project Dynamo's website says it is "committed to honoring the promise made to civilians in Afghanistan that aided the United States over the last two decades."
Two out of the seven people running the group accompanied the evacuees from Kabul, Wilson said, adding that they were mostly funded by donations.
"These are Americans, how can you stop helping?" she said. "How can you stop trying to get them out?"