US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to create a blacklist of countries accused of unjustly detaining American citizens, introducing sweeping penalties including travel bans.
The order establishes a new designation — “state sponsors of wrongful detention” — mirroring the existing US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
“With this EO you are signing today, 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.
The Trump administration did not immediately disclose the countries likely to be listed, but a senior US official confirmed that China, Iran, and Afghanistan were under review for what Washington calls “persistent hostage diplomacy.”
Countries designated under the new system could face sanctions, export controls, and visa bans for officials complicit in wrongful imprisonment. The State Department would also have authority to restrict US citizens from traveling to such countries — a measure currently enforced only against North Korea.
The blacklist could also apply to non-state groups that control territory but are not formally recognized as governments.
Trump has repeatedly highlighted his record in securing the release of Americans abroad. According to administration officials, 72 prisoners have been freed under his leadership. The new order, they said, will allow the government to act more swiftly without lengthy bureaucratic procedures.
The US has long prioritized the return of citizens detained overseas, often negotiating prisoner swaps. The policy shift builds on that approach by creating a permanent deterrent against governments that Washington accuses of weaponizing detention.
The executive order also allows for countries to be removed from the blacklist if they demonstrate compliance with international norms.
Under former president Joe Biden, China released Americans deemed wrongfully detained after Washington softened its travel warnings — a move that critics said weakened US leverage but helped ease business concerns.
By expanding punitive tools, Trump seeks to establish a harder line, signaling that the US will not tolerate the imprisonment of its citizens for political gain.
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