{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases/issa-announces-more-americans-freed-afghanistan", "Issa Announces More Americans Freed from Afghanistan", "2021-09-15", "2021", "2021-09", "Republican", "House", "CA", "Darrell Issa", "I000056", "issa.house.gov", "issa", "https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON DC \u2013 Congressman Darrell Issa announced today that his office has facilitated the release of two more American citizens from Afghanistan. The Congressman\u2019s constituents, a couple in their 80s, are on their way home and have officially left Kabul.\n\n\u201cThis is a cause for celebration and the result of almost countless hours of work under very difficult conditions,\u201d said Congressman Issa. \u201cOur team simply would not give up, and today it paid off and we got them home.\u201d\n\nThe names of the couple are being withheld at the request of their family, due to the continuing danger of reprisals faced by Afghan relatives of Americans who escape the country. The couple tried repeatedly over multiple weeks to get through Taliban checkpoints but were harassed and intimidated, blocking their efforts to board a plane home.\n\nAfter the couple\u2019s granddaughter, Zuhal (last name also withheld for security reasons), contacted the Issa district office, the team swiftly began its communications and logistical coordination that ultimately guided the couple out of Afghanistan. She said today, \u201cI want to thank Congressman Issa and his staff both in Washington and California for everything they did to help my grandparents come home. We are all so grateful.\u201d\n\nTo date, Congressman Issa\u2019s office has helped rescue 33 members of his community from Afghanistan, including six El Cajon-area families and other Americans and SIV visa holders.\n\n\u201cWhile we have made extraordinary progress, but we\u2019re not stopping until everyone comes home,\u201d said Congressman Issa.\n\nDarrell Issa is the Representative of California\u2019s 50th Congressional District. The District encompasses the central and northeastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, San Marcos, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, El Cajon, Temecula, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://issa.house.gov/media/press-releases/issa-announces-more-americans-freed-afghanistan"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4350749552249908, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}