WASHINGTON DC - Maggie Osdoby Katz, an American consultant and former US diplomat with decades-long ties to Georgia, was unexpectedly denied entry upon her arrival at Tbilisi International Airport on Saturday, July 11th.
The incident, described by Georgia watchers as "the first of its kind" for an American citizen without apparent reason, underscores a rapidly deteriorating relationship between Washington and Tbilisi. Speaking to Kyiv Post, a former US Ambassador to Georgia characterized the move as a "particularly pointed message" from the South Caucasian country's pro-Russian government and a concerning signal for democracy advocates.
Katz has a profound history with Georgia, dating back to 1998, when she undertook a parliamentary internship and later held a role at the US Embassy. Her extensive engagement includes numerous summer visits, multiple election monitoring missions, and extended periods of residency in the country.
Despite her deep familiarity with Georgia, her routine flight on Saturday culminated in an abrupt and unexplained rejection at passport control. She was simply told to "step to the side" and subsequently handed a document marked with "other..." as the reason for denial, receiving no specific explanation from officials. Her phone was confiscated during several hours in a holding area before she was placed on an outbound flight.
Speaking to Kyiv Post from an Istanbul airport later the day, Katz stated she is not a high-profile figure, lacks a large public following, and has no current affiliations with major organizations or the US government, having ceased federal service over a decade ago.
However, Georgian outlet "Formula" on Saturday highlighted Katz's recent grassroots fundraising campaign to support Georgian civil society.
Katz told Kyiv Post that while she does have "a diverse group of friends, including individuals who participate in protests in various capacities," she emphasized she is "not personally involved in their protest activities."
In the meantime, she is involved in peacebuilding consultancy work with OSCE, designing a negotiation simulation for youth from the South Caucasus and Central Asia, according to sources with knowledge of OSCE activities.
The incident has drawn a sharp rebuke from former US Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly, who served in Tbilisi under the Obama and Trump administrations (2015-2018). "First of all, as far as I know, this is the first time that somebody has been an American citizen, has been denied entry for... no apparent reason," Kelly told Kyiv Post.
"It strikes me as a particularly pointed message, given that she has had official positions, including at the US Embassy... and that she's worked on democracy issues, including on the international staff of the OSCE," he added.
Kelly asserted that such a move "had to have been sanctioned at fairly high levels in the Georgian government."
According to the former ambassador, this incident "seems to be a real sign that Western and particularly American democracy advocates are not welcome in the country."
Kelly speculated that Georgian officials might have miscalculated, believing they could "get away with this" due to recent changes within the State Department's Democracy Bureau and the current absence of a US Ambassador in Tbilisi.
"What they don't understand, of course, is there's a bill before the US Senate that will impose sanctions precisely for this kind of thing, precisely for anti-American moves like this and... persecuting democracy advocates," the former ambassador warned.
"So it was a little shocking, but not surprising. You know, I figured that this was going to happen eventually, given all their anti-American rhetoric," he concluded.
Katz's experience comes amidst a rapidly deteriorating relationship between the US and Georgia.
Tensions escalated following a "threatening, insulting" private letter sent recently by the ruling Georgian Dream party leadership to the Trump administration according to media reports.
A further complication arose when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio last month prepared a response to the private letter and instructed outgoing Ambassador Robin Dunnigan to deliver it to Bidzina Ivanishvili, the shadowy billionaire and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party who is widely seen as the country's de facto leader and behind Georgia's pivot to Russia.
Ivanishvili notably refused to meet Ambassador Dunnigan, citing his personal US sanctions as "blackmail." Ambassador Dunnigan reportedly emphasized that Ivanishvili's refusal to meet prioritized his personal interests over those of the Georgian people.
Broader concerns in US-Georgia relations cited by observers include Georgia's perceived tilt toward Russia, crackdowns on dissent, imprisonment of opposition figures, and issues with the rule of law and media freedom.
Katz's case is not isolated but appears to be part of a broader pattern of border rejections in Georgia targeting activists, journalists, and human rights defenders.
Similar incidents over the past year include the denial of entry to active EU diplomat Simon Vanderbroucke in May, which Georgian authorities attributed to a "technical problem."
These trends have led the Polish and French embassies to advise their citizens to consider factors such as participation in protests and social media activity before traveling to Georgia. The confluence of Katz's unexplained denial of entry, the former ambassador's strong condemnation, and the documented pattern of strained bilateral relations signals a significant downturn in US-Georgia ties, particularly concerning democratic governance and the space for civil society engagement.