Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) is calling on the State Department and the Trump administration to take immediate action to protect and secure the release of his constituent, Emily Wilder, a Los Angeles-based journalist detained by Israeli authorities after reporting aboard a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza.

“I write to urgently follow up on my previous letter, dated October 5th, urging immediate action by the State Department and the Trump administration to protect and free the detained crew and passengers of the Global Sumud Flotilla,” Gomez wrote. “My office has now confirmed that a second flotilla carrying vital humanitarian aid… has been intercepted, and nearly 145 passengers and crew detained. Among the detained is my constituent Emily Wilder, a member of the press, who was reporting on the flotilla’s attempt to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”

Gomez continued: “As the Representative of Emily Wilder in Congress, I must insist on an immediate update from your department on the efforts being made to secure her safe treatment and immediate release.”

In his letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Gomez reminded the administration of its “solemn legal and moral duty to advocate and protect the rights of detained Americans, and secure their speedy release from detention.”

He also warned that: “Failure to take immediate and comprehensive action to secure the release of Ms. Wilder and other detainees would implicate your department and the Trump administration in an unconscionable abandonment of basic American principles and a dangerous undermining of our diplomatic standing internationally.”

Gomez’s office is actively liaising with the U.S. State Department, the Israeli Embassy, and relevant counterparts to ensure Ms. Wilder’s safety, consular access, medical care, and eventual return home.

Gomez emphasized that the intercepted flotillas were humanitarian missions in international waters, and reiterated his calls for “overwhelming humanitarian relief to be delivered immediately, the safe return of the October 7th hostages, accountability through the dismantling of Hamas, an ironclad commitment to protect civilians, a swift end to military operations, and a permanent ceasefire.”