On September 5, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office. The action creates a new tool to pressure countries that wrongfully detain Americans abroad today.
Senior administration officials said the order targets governments that use hostage diplomacy to bargain with. Officials cited China, Iran, Afghanistan, and Russia as possible targets under the plan, they said.
The order allows Washington to impose sanctions, export controls, and visa bans on offenders abroad. Officials said penalties would mirror those used for designated foreign terrorist groups in U.S. law.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that no country would seek such a label publicly today. “No nation should want to end up on this list,” he said in a statement.
A senior official said the administration drew a line against using Americans as bargaining chips. “You will not use Americans as bargaining chips,” the official said, speaking anonymously to reporters.
Under the policy, the State Department will notify a country of a wrongful detention first. The country will have a set time to act before Washington imposes sanctions, officials said.
Officials said sanctions could be lifted if corrective measures were taken by the detained country. The move aims to create leverage while allowing room for diplomatic fixes and talks elsewhere.
Senior officials said the administration had won the return of 72 U.S. citizens from abroad recently. That tally includes individuals held in Russia and Afghanistan, the officials added this year.
The order follows recent high profile releases, including that of American Faye Hall in Afghanistan. Her release highlighted the issue of wrongful detentions and public pressure on the US government.
The new tool echoes the existing State Sponsor of Terrorism list used by Washington today. Iran is already on that list and remains under a broad set of US sanctions.
Russia also faces U.S. and European sanctions over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and beyond. Adding a wrongful detention label could complicate negotiations with Moscow on multiple issues including prisoner swaps.
Global Reach, a nonprofit that helps secure releases, hailed the executive order as strong policy. Mickey Bergman, the group’s chief, said it would put “real teeth” behind U.S. efforts now.
Some civil rights groups warned the label could spill penalties onto diaspora communities and families. They cautioned against measures that might harm innocent people overseas and disrupt travel and trade.
Legal experts say the move could face tests in U.S. courts and foreign tribunals soon. Diplomats also warn the label may make quiet negotiations harder to conduct with foreign governments.
Officials said the policy could target groups that operate with state support to detain Americans. That step broadens the reach beyond direct government actions and aims to close loopholes quickly.
President Trump highlighted recent returns and said, “We have gotten a lot of people out”. He added that the work to bring Americans home would continue, the White House said.
Administration officials compared their pace of returns to earlier efforts under past governments publicly today. Advocates say tool could shorten cases that once took years to resolve for families abroad.
Officials pointed to recent prisoner swaps and negotiated releases as signs the policy can work. Those cases included exchanges with Russia and Venezuela, according to administration accounts this year.
Experts warn that targeted states might retaliate with their own measures against the United States. That could mean limits on U.S. companies, officials, or citizens in those countries abroad now.
The State Department will set review steps to decide which cases meet the detention standard. Officials said the framework leaves room to lift penalties if countries make corrective moves soon.
U.S. officials publicly estimate Russia holds nine Americans and Iran holds eight, according to briefings. Those figures helped shape the administration’s urgency on the new measure, officials said this week.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle offered mixed reactions publicly, addressing national security concerns. Some praised the administration’s resolve, while others warned of diplomatic risks ahead in Congress.
The executive order adds a formal tool to pressure states that wrongfully detain Americans abroad. Its success will depend on enforcement, coordination with allies, and the choices of targeted governments.
