The Role of the U.S. Embassies Abroad

The U.S. embassies play important roles for both U.S. citizens and other countries all over the globe

By Rachael Carpenter, News Reporter

Something to think about as an American before travelling to other countries is to know where in those countries your United States Embassies and Consulates are located. There is a program called the Smart Traveller Enrollment Program (STEP) that is a free service to allow U.S. citizens traveling abroad to register with the local U.S. Embassy. This allows people from the U.S. to enter information about trips abroad so the Department of State can assist them in an emergency situation. Mrs. Sager unsuccessfully relied on the US Embassy in Kazakhstan when she and her husband needed assistance with an international adoption,

“We were being extorted for more money in order to receive a court date to finalize the adoption in Kazakhstan. We were spent--we didn’t have any more money. The US Embassy could not help us, so we turned to a Russian mediator in the US--who was probably involved in the Russian Mafia. It sounds surreal, but it was real and very scary.” However, Mrs. Sager felt some security knowing the Embassy knew of the situation and was there.

An embassy is responsible for representing their home country, and preserving the rights of its citizens abroad. The highest official in an embassy is the ambassador, who acts as the chief diplomat and spokesperson for the home government.

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, U.S. embassies worldwide have had to shift their priorities. For a several month period, many U.S. embassies had to fully shut down services. Starting in July though, this lockdown in many embassies ended. Greenberg Traurig detailed the reopening of some embassies.

“U.S. embassies and consulates are resuming services on a limited basis due to the Covid-19 infection rates.” Because of the restrictions still in place, it is moderately difficult for U.S. citizens to return to the U.S., as Foreign Policy explained,

“As of right now American citizens abroad are not getting the support they need from the U.S. Embassies and consulates as they are trying to return home during the global coronavirus outbreak.”

As the year has progressed, the U.S. embassies have been able to provide more services, such as scheduling flights for U.S. citizens to return home and resume diplomatic talks with many countries.