Dylan Budnick, 24, of Middletown, vacationing in Peru prior to the countrywide quarantine. Photo courtesy of the Budnick family
Seventeen Americans who were trapped in Peru after the South American country abruptly shut its borders in response to the COVID-19 crisis, have safely returned to their families in the United States, or are on their way home, thanks in large measure to the efforts of Congressman Chris Smith.
WASHINGTON, DC—In an urgent phone conversation Saturday, March 21st with U.S. Ambassador to Peru, Krishna Urs, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the Ambassador to reach out to U.S. citizens and reassure those spread-out across Peru that they have not been forgotten nor abandoned.
“There are reportedly 5,000 Americans trapped in Peru needing the immediate assistance of the U.S. government in order to get home,” said Smith, who has been contacted by more than a dozen travelers with New Jersey roots. Read the rest of this entry »
