President Donald J. Trump has signed an Executive Order aimed at strengthening protections for U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained abroad. The measure, announced on September 5, 2025, gives new authority to the Secretary of State to designate foreign countries as State Sponsors of Wrongful Detention if they are found to be involved in or supporting such actions against American citizens.
According to the White House, the order directs the Secretary of State to take a range of possible actions against designated countries. These include imposing sanctions, restricting travel and exports, declaring nationals from those countries inadmissible to the United States, and other measures permitted by existing laws. The goal is to deter foreign governments and non-state actors from detaining U.S. citizens without justification.
The order also allows for designations to be lifted if a country releases wrongfully detained Americans, makes significant policy changes regarding detention practices, or provides credible assurances that it will not engage in similar conduct in the future. In addition to governments, the order applies to entities controlling territory even if they are not officially recognized as states.
President Trump said he is addressing what he described as a growing trend of wrongful detentions used by foreign adversaries as leverage against the United States. "Under the Biden Administration, our adversaries learned that they could take Americans as bargaining chips and that little to nothing would be done about it," the statement reads. "Biden’s weakness resulted in 24 more Americans taken captive than rescued in four years."
The administration cited several cases where Americans have been held overseas under disputed circumstances. For example, Marc Fogel was detained in Russia for over three years before his release earlier this year.
"This Order gives the Secretary of State the ability to leverage existing tools against those adversaries to protect Americans abroad and proactively combat this coercive tactic," according to President Trump.
Since returning to office, President Trump says his administration has secured the release of 72 detained Americans abroad. Among them are Marc Fogel; Ksenia Karelina, a ballet dancer previously held in Russia; Keith Siegel and Edan Alexander, both held hostage by Hamas; George Glezmann and others held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"President Trump has consistently advocated for a strong, America First foreign policy that deters adversaries from targeting U.S. nationals," reads a statement from the White House.