Skip to main content

Austin Tice's mother says White House a 'hurdle' to his return

Debra Tice, whose son Austin disappeared while reporting on the Syrian war in 2012, called on the White House to do more to ensure his safe return.
Tice

The mother of Austin Tice, a freelance journalist taken captive in Syria nine years ago, said the White House remains a “hurdle” to bringing her son home.

Tice, a former Marine captain from Texas who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, is among roughly half a dozen US citizens thought to have been seized by the Syrian government or allied forces. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken singled out Tice on Wednesday in a tweet that highlighted the imprisonment of more than 350 journalists worldwide. Within days of his confirmation in February, Blinken held a video call with the loved ones of unlawfully imprisoned Americans, promising to prioritize their release. 

“The hurdle I’m having is the White House,” Debra Tice said during a press conference Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.  

Tice said she hasn’t been able to meet with President Joe Biden or his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, to discuss her son’s plight. Her frustration was echoed in an open letter published in October by a group of more than two dozen families of hostages and wrongfully detained Americans, who said they were denied White House meetings. 

Tice has spent the past five weeks in Washington meeting with other US officials, which she described as productive. 

However, "the things we're discussing have to go up the chain, otherwise we really are just having tea and crumpets,” she said.  

Last week, Sullivan told a group of US hostage families during a virtual meeting reported on by Axios that he would be willing to meet with them in person. Tice said she’s since requested a meeting. 

The backstory: Tice traveled to Syria the summer before his final year at Georgetown Law to cover the country's civil war as a freelance journalist for outlets that included McClatchy, CBS and The Washington Post. Three days after his 31st birthday, Tice disappeared on Aug. 14, 2012 after his taxi was stopped at a checkpoint in a Damascus suburb. 

Little is publicly known about his whereabouts or well-being, aside from a 47-second clip that surfaced five weeks after his disappearance, and which analysts believe might have been staged. 

What’s the latest: A lack of formal diplomatic relations with Syria has complicated US government efforts to bring Tice home. The Trump administration attempted various backchannels and in late 2020, White House official Kash Patel and Roger Carstens, the US special envoy for hostage affairs, traveled to Damascus for rare negotiations on the detained Americans. The pair met with Syria’s sanctioned-intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, whose demands the Associated Press reported included a full US troop pullout from Syria, the removal of sanctions and renewed diplomatic ties. 

Debra Tice called on the current administration to build on the secret talks between Mamlouk and US officials, and the work of Lebanon’s top security chief, Abbas Ibrahim. The well-connected Lebanese general has worked to free the US detainees, and in 2019 successfully negotiated the release of Sam Goodwin, an American tourist held in a Syrian prison for two months.

“You can’t drop this ball. We’ve had an ask from the Syrians,” Tice said. “Doors are opening a bit, and we need to shove those doors open and pull Austin out.” 

“He is an American citizen that needs his government to step in and do what they know is necessary to bring him home," Tice said.

What they’re saying: In response to a question from Al-Monitor, State Department spokesperson Ned Price declined to say specifically whether the Biden administration would consider a direct dialogue with the Syrian regime to press for Tice’s return, but said the US can “separate the idea of diplomacy and our efforts to free Americans who are held overseas.”

“The way we see it, we can have conversations pertaining to Americans and we can have conversations with regimes with which we have poor relations, or in some cases potentially no relations at all,” Price said.  

Know more: The family of Majd Kamalmaz, a psychotherapist from Virginia missing in Syria since 2017, is also pinning its hopes on Biden. His daughter, Maryam Kamalmaz, said she has written letters to Blinken, Biden and Sullivan and is waiting for a response. 

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

The Middle East in your inbox Insights in your inbox.

Deepen your knowledge of the Middle East

Trend Reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial