Irony Alert: Trump signs executive order creating 'state sponsor of wrongful detention' designation

[DemMedic]

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-signs-executive-order-creating-state-sponsor-wrongful/story?id=125299109

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order creating a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" designation to be used against foreign governments that unjustly hold U.S. nationals or support non-state actors that do.

Senior administration officials say it creates a new tool they claim will be a game-changer in preventing and resolving cases involving Americans held captive abroad.

"We've gotten a lot of people out and we'll continue," Trump said at an Oval Office order signing.

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the move an "unprecedented action to impose new consequences on those who wrongfully detain Americans abroad."

[C_U_L8R]

1. The irony.

Totally lost on these despicable clowns.

[Norbert]

2. Do as I say, not as I do

[Bettie]

3. The number that he is talking about is about 54

https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage-advocacy/hostage-report-2/#gsc.tab=0

At one point in 2024, at least 54 Americans were held hostage or wrongfully detained overseas in 17 countries. The Foley Foundation assessed the majority of them (83%) as wrongfully detained. At least 17 Americans were released from captivity last year, the vast majority (47%) through prisoner exchanges.

Despite some success in freeing the wrongfully detained, there was little progress in freeing American hostages. In addition, statistical analysis of the data used for this report suggests that more Americans were wrongfully detained between 2015 and 2024 than in the 10 years prior (2005-2014). This finding may be due, in part, to the establishment of specific criteria for “wrongful detention,” a legal term defined by the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (Levinson Act) that was signed into law at the end of 2020. Additionally, with several high-profile cases of wrongful detention by state actors, there has been greater media attention paid to the issue, more public reporting and hence, an enhanced ability through open-source research to track how many Americans may be held captive by nation states.

Measuring the full extent of U.S. hostage taking and wrongful detention abroad is challenging because of the lack of official metrics and often limited publicly available information. Variations in definitions, criteria, and terminology employed by nations and media organizations globally also create confusion, which has led to differing numbers and lists (a). These challenges highlight the need for transparent, official metrics and consistent, unambiguous terms to understand the problem, coordinate international responses, and implement effective deterrence and prevention strategies. Finally, as the nature of the threat has shifted from hostage-taking toward wrongful detention, a focused, whole of government study is warranted to develop a proactive national strategy and a comprehensive set of policies, tools, and capabilities to address this dynamic national security threat.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. How I love The Onion !! nt