In the Press...
Trentonian article on Smith Peru caseCongressman Chris Smith helps Hamilton girl stuck in Peru during pandemic get home
By Isaac Avilucea, Trentonian Staff -
A township teenager stranded in Peru while visiting family during the global coronavirus pandemic is back home. Sixteen-year-old Noelia Manion was one of 17 New Jerseyans who Congressman Chris Smith helped get back to the Garden State, his office said in a statement. The congressman contacted the U.S. Ambassador to Peru, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Lima, and top officials at the State Department in Washington to bring home stranded Americans. The last of the 17 Americans, including a woman from Trenton, were expected back in the states by Monday, his office said. Some had medical conditions or special travel conditions that needed to be prioritized, the congressman's office said. Noelia's father, David, said his daughter became stranded once the Peruvian government closed borders March 16 and quarantined the country for 15 days earlier this month. March 22 was the last day for international flights, trapping many Americans, said Smith, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. More than 5,000 U.S. citizens stuck in Peru at the start of the outbreak, Smith's office said. “I want to thank Congressman Smith for his advocacy and his hard work in getting Americans home,” Manion said in a statement. “The Congressman’s assistance was very helpful.” Smith wrote letters to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking him to “reassure trapped Americans and their families that their needs are being prioritized” during the pandemic and spoke to U.S Ambassador Krishnam Urs about helping those stuck in Cusco, where the curfew was strictly enforced. He asked U.S. government officials to charter flights or send in military transports to bring American citizens home. About 2,500 Americans were still stranded in Peru, according to officials from the State Department. The U.S. was chartering three flights each day until everyone was back in the states, the congressman said. Smith also helped return New Jerseyeans who were stuck in the Dominican Republican and Honduras. “When a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic strikes, you want to be in familiar surroundings and close to the ones you love and the medical professionals you know and trust,” Smith said in a statement. “When Peru locked its borders, my phones lit up with worried relatives reaching our for help. It was a long, busy week but I am ecstatic that all will be home by Monday night,” Smith said. The above article was published in the March 31, 2020 print edition of the Trentonian newspaper, and can found online at: |