WASHINGTON, DC – The Foley Foundation is following the Trump transition team’s nominations of individuals to fill key roles in the next administration related to the issue of recovering American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad.
Today’s announcement that the President-elect has nominated Adam Boehler as the next Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) is a key step in that process. Foley Foundation President and Founder Diane Foley said, “We look forward to working with the incoming administration’s new team to sustain and accelerate the substantial progress that has been made on this issue in recent years. The return of American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad is a nonpartisan issue and should remain so as part of the government’s sacred obligation to its citizens.”
“We thank current SPEHA Roger Carstens for his extraordinary service and impressive track record of success in bringing innocent Americans home during both the first Trump administration and the Biden administration. Carstens built a highly competent team to support families whose loved ones have been designated as wrongfully detained and to secure their release,” said Foley.
With the return of more than 140 Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained since the governmental reforms advocated for by the Foley Foundation and implemented initiated by PPD-30 in 2015, it is clear that successive presidential administrations have increasingly prioritized the return of innocent Americans held captive abroad. As we detailed in our 2024 research report and shared in a statement yesterday, more work needs to be done to support hostage families and returned American captives, deter would-be captors, and prevent Americans from becoming victims of international hostage-taking. All branches of government and the private sector have a role to play in addressing this national emergency.
