DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — Lebanese Americans across the country, including in Michigan, are worried for the safety of their families stuck in war-torn areas of Lebanon.
With no proper evacuation plan in place, people here in Michigan are hopeful that a class action lawsuit against the State Department will help reunite families.
"I think this table really reflects all my identities. This is my picture when I graduated from U of M, this is when I interned in D.C., and this is my parents when I finished school in south Lebanon," said Micho Assi, a Dearborn resident.
"You are a proud American, you are a proud Michigander, but you also hold your Lebanese heritage near and dear, why is that?" asked Faraz Javed, 7 News Detroit reporter.
"Why not?! This is where I went to school, this is where I grew up, and this is where my parents are," said Micho.
It's been months since Micho has seen her mom and dad. And now, with the Israel-Hamas war escalating into Lebanon, calling them is the only option.
"Where is Dad?" Micho asks her mom over a call.
"He has gone to get bread because, during the day, it's dangerous," says Micho's mom.
Micho says strategically planning for ways to get groceries while avoiding Israeli air strikes is sadly now the norm for many in Lebanon.
"They left on Monday, they had to escape Beirut, because they were asked by Israelis to leave just like everyone in south Lebanon. But right now, Beirut is not safe," said Micho.
Micho's parents are green card holders, and so far, all her attempts to get them back have failed.
"The Lebanese in Lebanon are counting on Lebanese Americans that they believe we will be able to do something," said Micho.
On Thursday, the Arab American Civil Rights League in Michigan filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of U.S. citizens and green card holders currently trapped in Lebanon. ACRL's Nabhi Ayad says so far, the five plaintiffs named in the complaint have been unable to secure assistance from the State Department.
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"We have close to 86,000 us citizens stuck in the war zone. The problem is there are no flights," said Nabih Ayad, attorney and founder of ACRL.
With Michigan being home to the largest Arab population in the country, Nabih expects the list of plaintiffs to grow well over 1000.
"We are asking Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, to do their job and protect our citizens," said Nabih.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell has also contacted the State Department to see where the roadblocks are.
"We have Israeli Americans stuck in Israel, we have citizens in Lebanon, and we also have a significant Yemeni population, and they've been struggling as well," said Congresswoman Dingell.
"Are you frustrated with the State Department's lack of evacuation plan?" asked Faraz.
"The State Department has started listening in the last few days, and they've increased activities, but yes, I am frustrated. I'm frustrated whenever we can't bring Americans home from anywhere," said Congresswoman Dingell.
I contacted the State Department for comment, but they deferred me to Thursday's press briefing, where spokesperson Mathew Miller said since September 28th, the department has been working to find available seats on commercial flights. So far, they've secured 800 seats, of which American citizens have used a number of them.
"The State Department is just acting like a travel agent. If they can send millions of dollars of bombs and weapons to the Middle East, they can easily send military planes to bring back tax-paying American citizens and residents," said Nabih.
Meanwhile, Senator Gary Peters's Office shared a statement writing in part, "Senator Peters is continuing to monitor the situation in Lebanon and his office is working closely with the State Department to assist any Michiganders whose loved ones remain in Lebanon."
The statement also adds that back in July, the White House accepted Senator Peter's recommendation and provided an estimated 12,000 Lebanese nationals currently living in the country to remain safely in the U.S. for 18 months, with permission to work legally to support themselves.
The ACRL has set up a hotline 1-877-LEB-EVAC to help Lebanese American families learn more about the lawsuit. You can also visit the website:
