A local rally in 2011 supporting Assad’s regime.

TROY — The United States on Tuesday suspended operations of the Syrian Embassy in Washington and its consulates. It also told diplomats and staff who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents to leave the country. Texas and Michigan are the only two states in the country that have Syrian consulate offices. 

The office in Troy caters to southeast Michigan’s large Syrian community.  It is still uncertain how the closure of the office would impact local Syrian Americans who receive services from it. Most consulate offices offer immigration services, and the closure could affect Syrian refugees resettling in the area. 

The Syrian consulate’s office in Detroit was established in March 2001 to support the Syrian community in Michigan, as well as to provide a bridge between the expatriate community and the Syrian government.  

U.S. special envoy for Syria Daniel Rubinstein said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has refused to step down and is responsible for atrocities against Syrians.

“We have determined it is unacceptable for individuals appointed by that regime to conduct diplomatic or consular operations in the United States,” said Rubinstein, whose appointment was announced by the State Department on Monday.

“Consequently, the United States notified the Syrian government today that it must immediately suspend operations of its embassy in Washington, D.C., and its honorary consulates in Troy, Michigan, and Houston, Texas,” he said in a statement.

The announcement comes as the Syrian conflict enters its fourth year, with an estimated 150,000 people killed by the war and little sign that initiatives to ease the crisis are working.

Efforts by the United States and Russia to broker a peace settlement now appear to have faded further amid worsening tensions between Moscow and Washington over Ukraine. 

   — Reuters, TAAN