Mother of missing Marine veteran calls Trump administration ‘breath of fresh air’ as she continues 12-year search
Debra Tice spent more than 12 years searching for her son, Austin Ticea Marine Corps veteran and journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012. Through four presidential administrations, she never lost hope that her son would return home alive. In fact, he calls the new Trump administration “a breath of fresh air.”
“They’re thinking about what they need to do, they’re making suggestions, they’re standing by, they’ve got ideas. The onus is not on me like it was in the past,” Tice told Fox News Digital, referring to the Trump administration.
Marine veteran mother’s first trip to Damascus, Syria, in more than 10 years it comes on the trail of a revolution within a war-torn country. Debra Tice has only been in Syria for a few days, but she has already managed to meet with the country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaawho led the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad.
“It was a real surprise that we were able to get a meeting with al-Shara. It was a very good meeting,” Tice said.
SYRIA RESCUE MISSION OPERATOR BELIEVES AUSTIN TICE IS ALIVE AND WILL BE FOUND SOON
In this photo released by the Syrian state news agency SANA, Syria’s de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with Debra Tice, mother of American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012, left, and Nizar Zakka, host of the nonprofit organization Hostage Aid Worldwide, center, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, January 20, 2025. (SANA via AP)
Help hostages around the worldthe non-profit organization coordinating Tice’s visit to Syria, was able to take her to some of the prisons that were abandoned after the fall of Assad. She said seeing the conditions in those prisons was “really challenging” but she appreciated getting a sense of “what Austin was dealing with.”
Tice also issued a challenge to those in the US government who “feel Austin can wait” to go see the prisons for themselves.
“I think they had to come here – and I wouldn’t ask them to spend the night in one of those jails – but I think if they went to see what he went through, he might be more motivated to get Austin out of there.”
TREY YINGST ENTERS AN ABANDONED SYRIAN PRISON IN SEARCH OF MISSING AMERICAN JOURNALIST AUSTIN TICE
Debra Tice, the mother of missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in August 2012, attends a news conference as she called on President Donald Trump to help discover the fate of her son in Damascus, Syria, on January 20, 2025. (Bekir Kasim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
During a press conference on Monday, Tice praised the incoming Trump administration and confirmed that they have “already reached out” regarding Austin’s case.
“I haven’t experienced that in the past four years, but I’m optimistic about their help and commitment. I believe they will act quickly,” Tice said.
Tice also used the press conference to send an emotional message to her missing son.
“Austin, if you can somehow hear this, I love you. I know you won’t give up and neither will I,” Tice said.
Tice says she “never doubted the fact that Austin would be released. It’s a matter of time, and I believe it’s God’s timing.
Speaking about her hope and optimism about finding her son, Tice attributed her faith to “one hundred percent.” She added that, “if I didn’t have my faith, I think I would fall into a bunch of really small pieces.”
CRASH OF SYRIA’S ASSAD REGIME RENEWS US PRESSURE TO FIND AUSTIN TICE
The State Department’s Justice Reward Program is offering $10 million for information related to the location of Austin Tice. 9/12/2024 (State Department Award for Justice)
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “intense efforts are still underway to locate Austin Tice.” In addition, the spokesman said the department was “working to have US officials come to Damascus” to assist in the search, but was awaiting confirmation that “conditions are safe and local authorities can accept the visit.”
“We have used relevant information, as well as declassified intelligence, to inform the search efforts of Syrian and international partners on the ground in Damascus who are searching for Austin on a daily basis,” the spokesman added.
“They have visited and searched a number of now-discovered secret prisons, but to date have not found Austin or any additional information to help us locate him.”
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Last month, after receiving a letter from Debra Tica, the Russian president Vladimir Putin promised to ask Assad for help in finding Austin. However, so far there are no signs of this happening.
