Ksenia Karelina, a naturalized American citizen, built a quiet life in Los Angeles, working at a luxury spa and nurturing her love for ballet. A Russian immigrant who came to America in 2012, she had carved out her own version of the American dream — one that now feels impossibly far away. 

In January 2024, what was meant to be a short trip home to visit family in Russia turned into a nightmare. She was arrested, initially accused of “petty hooliganism,” but the charge soon escalated to treason. The reason? A $51.80 donation to an American-based charity supporting Ukrainian emergency workers on the day of the invasion. By August, she had been sentenced to 12 years in a Russian penal colony.

Ms. Karelina’s boyfriend, South African professional boxer Chris Van Heerden, has used his platform to advocate her release, shining a light on the peril dual citizens face in Russia’s tightening grip. In February, 13 months after Ms. Karelina was first detained and six months following her sentencing, the United States Department of State issued the official “wrongfully detained” designation. 

When an American is detained, United States consular officials must be notified to assess their treatment. Yet securing an official wrongful detention designation — a key step in diplomatic efforts — can take weeks, months, or even years. 

Today, March 9, marks United States Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day.

“It can be difficult, particularly if the case has complex circumstances. The government undergoes a lengthy review process before granting the designation,” the executive director of Hostage US, Liz Cathcart, tells The New York Sun. “Once a case is officially deemed wrongful detention, it unlocks certain forms of support from the State Department’s special envoy office.”

The designation prioritizes cases within the United States government, allocating additional resources and transferring it to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Families receive financial assistance for advocacy travel, mental health support, and access to medical and psychological care if the detainee returns home.

Official Numbers 

As of early March, 33 Americans are currently being held hostage or wrongfully detained in at least 16 countries worldwide, according to the James Foley Foundation. The true number of detainees is likely significantly higher, as some families avoid publicity, and others have yet to receive official recognition as wrongful detainees.

The foundation was established by Diane Foley in 2014 following the death of her son James Foley, an American journalist who was kidnapped and murdered by ISIS in Syria, to illuminate those held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.

State actors, including Communist China, Iran, and Russia, are responsible for 78 percent of these cases on Washington’s radar. A wrongful detention typically involves a state actor imprisoning someone under dubious legal grounds — often for political leverage — while a hostage situation involves a non-state group seizing someone, usually to extract a ransom or political concession. 

The remaining 22 percent of cases involve hostage situations, namely the American citizens held by Hamas. 

“There are two parts of the government handling these cases: the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which deals with Americans held by non-state actors, and the State Department, which handles cases involving nation-states. Each applies different criteria, which leads to discrepancies,” Executive Director of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, Benjamin Gray, tells the Sun. 

“Additionally, the government does not count cases where individuals are subject to exit bans — meaning they’re not imprisoned but can’t leave the country.”

Pinning down an exact number in both types of cases is challenging — some cases are undisclosed, and families don’t always seek publicity. The United States government does not maintain a public list, putting the onus on private organizations to publish data. 

The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation’s most recent findings highlight both progress and ongoing challenges in securing the freedom of unjustly detained Americans. While wrongful detentions have decreased by 42 percent since their peak in 2022, terrorist hostage-taking has risen. 

Prisoner exchanges have played a key role in 66 percent of releases since 2023 without triggering an increase in wrongful detentions in Iran or Venezuela. 

The report notes that detentions in China are particularly prolonged, averaging 12.5 years, while Russia has detained an average of nine Americans annually since 2022 — four times the previous rate.

Desperate to Return Home

So, who are some of the Americans languishing in foreign countries?

Austin Tice: Freelance journalist, Austin Tice, a Marine formerly on active duty, was kidnapped in Syria in August 2012, and despite efforts over more than 12 years, his fate is unknown. No group claimed responsibility, yet Washington officials have long maintained that the now defunct Syrian government is holding him — a claim Assad officials denied. 

In 2022, President Biden reaffirmed this belief after meeting with Mr. Tice’s family. Following the fall of the Assad regime and the freeing of political prisoners, Mr. Tice’s mother traveled to Syria in search of answers, but no new information on his whereabouts has emerged.

David Barnes: David Barnes, 67, traveled to Russia in 2021 to fight for custody of his children after his Russian ex-wife took them there in violation of a U.S. custody agreement. Although American authorities had already investigated and dismissed her allegations of sexual abuse, she repeated them to Russian officials, leading to his arrest. In February 2024, Mr. Barnes was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in a Russian penal colony, in what many view as a politically motivated case.

Jimmy Wilgus: American musician Jimmy Wilgus was working in Russia when he was arrested, allegedly beaten by police, and convicted in a closed trial on what his family insists were fabricated charges of indecent exposure. He was sentenced to 12.5 years in IK-17, a harsh penal colony in Mordovia. His 87-year-old father, Jim Wilgus, continues to fight for his son’s release, though American officials have told him their hands are tied without presidential or State Department intervention. 

Jeffrey Ake: Indiana businessman Jeffrey Ake was abducted in Iraq on April 11, 2005, while working at a water bottling plant near Baghdad. Masked gunmen released a video of him pleading for his life and contacted his wife with demands, but communication soon ceased. Mr. Ake’s family held a private funeral in 2014, but the U.S. government never confirmed his death. In 2015, the State Department maintained his case was still open.

Ciham Ali: Born in Los Angeles, Ciham Ali was just 15 when Eritrean authorities arrested her in 2012 as she tried to flee the country. Her father, a former Eritrean minister suspected of involvement in a failed coup, had already escaped. Ms. Ali was never charged with a crime and has been held incommunicado for more than a decade. Her exact whereabouts remain unknown, and human rights organizations continue to call for her release.

Held by Hamas

As of early March 2025, five Americans are in captivity in the Middle East. The five American hostages still held by Hamas and Palestinian terror groups are Edan Alexander, abducted on October 7, 2023, while serving in the IDF; Itay Chen, who died defending civilians but whose body remains with Hamas; and Gadi and Judi Weinstein Haggai, both killed in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz, with their bodies still held by Hamas. Omer Neutra, 22, was also killed during the attack, and his body is similarly in Hamas captivity.

“The U.S. still maintains a ‘no concessions’ policy, meaning it will not offer something of value to captors in exchange for hostages. However, prior to 2015, this was often misinterpreted as ‘we don’t talk to terrorists,’ which was counterproductive,” Mr. Gray explained. 

“We have seen in cases like James Foley, Kayla Mueller, Steven Sotloff, and Peter Kassig — who were held by ISIS in 2014 — that other governments negotiated successfully while the U.S. did not, and all American hostages were killed.”

For governments unlawfully holding Americans, the approach is different. “For state actors holding Americans, diplomatic negotiations do involve trade-offs. While international law condemns wrongful detention, it has not been fully codified as a specific legal violation, which creates gaps in enforcement,” Mr. Gray continued.

How it Works in Washington 

The United States Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs was established in 2015 following the government’s failures to secure the safe return of American hostages, including James Foley, who was executed on camera by the Islamic State. 

Initially focused on hostages, the office expanded its mandate under the 2020 Levinson Act, named after former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who disappeared in Iran and is presumed dead, to include wrongful detainees. The act introduced clearer criteria for determining wrongful imprisonment, such as detentions based solely on American citizenship or cases involving inhumane conditions and lack of due process.

Adam Boehler, a key negotiator in the 2020 Abraham Accords, was appointed as Trump’s Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs in December 2024. With a direct line to Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Mr. Boehler has taken an aggressive stance on hostage diplomacy, particularly in cases involving Russia, China, Iran, and Hamas. 

His approach contrasts with the longstanding American no-concessions policy, reflecting a shift toward more flexible and personal negotiations. The Trump administration has broken protocol in recent weeks by negotiating directly with Hamas terrorists. 

Mr. Boehler has been especially vocal on hostages held in Gaza, warning Hamas of severe consequences if it fails to return all captives. Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff, another key Trump ally, has also been involved in hostage release negotiations.  

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach,” one source close to the administration tells the Sun. “The release of Americans is paramount.”

President Biden’s hostage diplomacy focused on alliances and multi-nation cooperation. In his final days, he brokered a complex prisoner swap with Germany, Poland, Norway, and Slovenia to secure 16 hostages from Russia, leveraging his close ties with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. 

President Trump, by contrast, takes a direct and transactional approach. In his first term, dozens were freed, and just over a month into his second, teacher Marc Fogel was released by Russia, and Venezuela has agreed to release six Americans. 

Even before taking office, Mr. Trump signaled that securing hostages was a top priority, prompting Hamas, the Taliban, Venezuela, and Russia to release Americans. His team, largely drawn from the business world, favors swift, unilateral negotiations over traditional diplomacy.

Ongoing Challenges

Still, efforts to bring every American home are far from smooth sailing. 

Another source familiar with the internal process pointed out that even though the United States government is continuing to work hard to secure the release of an American held by a foreign government, without the wrongfully detained designation, they “don’t have access to the proper post-release support.”

“There are a number of Americans in questionable circumstances waiting for that formality. Ideally, the process should be quicker and more transparent, ensuring that those who meet the criteria receive the designation promptly and can access the necessary resources,” the source told the Sun. 

For families of detainees, politics is largely irrelevant as the clock ticks. Irrespective of who is at the helm, Mr. Gray stressed that there are some key areas for improvement to bring Americans home safely and swiftly. 

“First, families often receive little to no information about their loved one’s case. When they request a wrongful detention designation, there is often no explanation for delays or denials. Congress recently passed legislation requiring updates to families after 180 days, but we won’t see the effects of that until mid-2025,” he said. 

“Second, we need a national strategy on prevention and deterrence. More needs to be done to educate Americans on the risks they face when traveling. This isn’t just about following local laws — certain governments actively target Americans. There also needs to be stronger deterrence measures against nations that engage in wrongful detentions.”

The United States Department of State and the FBI did not respond to requests for further comment.