The group holds an event to encourage additional action from U.S. president.
President Joe Biden has been urged to take action to deter foreign governments from holding Americans hostage. “Bring Our Families Home,” an advocacy group organized by the families of Americans who have been wrongfully imprisoned, held an event this past week to advocate for increased attention to the problem from the president’s administration.
“This has become a national security issue,” said Jose Pereira, a U.S. citizen jailed in Venezuela while he was working for the petroleum refinery Citgo. “This practice is growing and growing and growing. And this practice must stop.”
Supporters of “Bring Our Families Home” recommend that President Biden enact more prisoner swaps and ease sanctions against countries detaining U.S. citizens. Pereira himself was freed in a prisoner swap between Washington and Caracas last October. The James Foley Foundation estimates that there are more than 60 Americans currently imprisoned abroad.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary of State Blinken as he oversees diplomatic efforts with countries holding U.S. citizens.
- For the president and his foreign policy advisors as they consider the increase in other nations’ imprisonment of Americans.
- For those being wrongfully detained in foreign countries.
Sources: Reuters
