US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order creating a new blacklist targeting countries accused of unjustly detaining American citizens.
The move, announced Friday, September 5, at the White House, introduces one of the toughest tools yet in Washington’s efforts to discourage “hostage diplomacy.”
The order establishes the category of “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” modeled after the long-standing designation of “state sponsors of terrorism.”
Countries placed on the new list could face sanctions, strict export controls, and bans on travel for officials involved in wrongful detentions.
“With this executive order, you are drawing a line in the sand that US citizens will not be used as bargaining chips,” Trump aide Sebastian Gorka told reporters in the Oval Office.
Although no countries were named immediately, a senior administration official said China, Iran, and Afghanistan were under review due to what Washington considers persistent involvement in politically motivated detentions.
The penalties could go even further. For the first time in decades, the US government is considering banning its own citizens from traveling to countries that appear on the blacklist.
Currently, North Korea is the only country where US citizens face a blanket travel ban, introduced after American student Otto Warmbier was detained in 2016. Warmbier was later returned to the US in a vegetative state and died shortly afterward.
Officials also said the blacklist could target non-state groups that control territory but are not recognized as formal governments.
This broadens the scope of Washington’s response to cover militias and extremist organizations accused of detaining Americans.
The Trump administration has frequently highlighted its record on freeing US citizens abroad. Officials claim that under Trump’s leadership, at least 72 detainees have been released through negotiations, including several high-profile swaps with Russia.
A senior official stressed that the new executive order would streamline such interventions by cutting through what they described as a “burdensome” bureaucratic process.
The order also leaves room for countries to be removed from the blacklist if the State Department determines they have stopped engaging in wrongful detention.
Across administrations, securing the release of Americans abroad has been a top priority.
The State Department routinely investigates detentions to determine whether they were politically motivated or aimed at gaining leverage over Washington.
Under former president Joe Biden, China released all Americans that the US considered wrongfully detained.
In return, the Biden administration eased a travel warning that had discouraged business visits to China.
Trump’s latest move signals a tougher stance, sending a warning not only to rival states but also to governments and groups accused of turning innocent Americans into pawns in political disputes.
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