Relatives of American citizens detained abroad are urging President Joe Biden to take more action to bring their loved ones home and deter foreign governments and groups from taking
hostages. The “Bring Our Families Home” campaign, which includes advocacy groups largely made up of families of U.S. detainees abroad, is calling for measures such as more prisoner swaps and easing sanctions against countries holding U.S. detainees.
There are more than 60 Americans held by foreign governments, including Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, according to the James Foley Foundation. The families have also called for a meeting with President Biden, which some have been waiting for over a year.
Biden’s administration has carried out several prisoner swaps and secured the release of another American citizen, but some have criticized the swaps as encouraging further hostage-taking. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
