Debra Tice has spent more than 12 years searching for her son, Austin Tice, a Marine veteran and journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012.
Through four presidential administrations, she has not lost hope that her son will come home alive. In fact, she calls the new Trump administration a ‘breath of fresh air.’
‘They are thinking about what they need to do, making suggestions, standing ready, having ideas. The burden isn’t on me the way it has been in the past,’ Tice told Fox News Digital, referring to the Trump administration.
The Marine veteran’s mother’s first trip back to Damascus, Syria, in over 10 years comes on the heels of a revolution within the war-torn country. Debra Tice has been in Syria for only a few days, but she has already managed to meet with the country’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the group that overthrew Bashar al-Assad.
‘It was really quite a surprise that we were able to get a meeting with al-Sharaa. It was a very good meeting,’ Tice said.
Hostage Aid Worldwide, a non-profit organization coordinating Tice’s visit to Syria, was able to take her inside some of the prisons that have been abandoned since the fall of Assad. She said that seeing the conditions in these prisons was ‘really challenging,’ but that she appreciated getting a sense of ‘what Austin was up against.’
Tice also issued a challenge to those in the U.S. government who ‘feel like Austin can wait’ to go see the prisons for themselves.
‘I think if they had to come over here – and I wouldn’t even ask them to spend the night in one of those prisons – but I think if they had gone to see what he may have gone through, maybe they would’ve been more motivated to get Austin out of there.’
During a press conference on Monday, Tice offered praise for 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 am optimistic about their help and involvement. 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 hear this somehow, I love you. I know you won’t give up, and I won’t give up either,’ Tice said.
Tice added she has ‘never had any doubt about the fact that Austin is going to walk free. It’s a matter of time, and in my faith it’s God’s timing.’
When speaking about her hope and optimism about finding her son, Tice credited her faith as ‘100 percent.’ She added that, ‘if I didn’t have my faith, I just think I would crumble into a bunch of really small pieces.’
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that ‘intensive efforts are still underway to find Austin Tice.’ Additionally, the spokesperson said that the department is ‘working to get U.S. officials into Damascus’ to aid in the search but is waiting for confirmation that the’conditions are safe and local authorities can accommodate 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 every day,’ the spokesperson added.
‘They have visited and searched numerous now-uncovered secret prisons, but to date they have not found Austin or any additional information that would help us locate him.’
Last month, after receiving a letter from Debra Tice, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to ask Assad for help finding Austin. However, as of now, there are no signs that this has happened.