Watch the full event HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2025) – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University (ASU) and the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation co-hosted a virtual event this week commemorating 10 years since the issuance of Presidential Policy Directive 30 (PPD 30), which launched the United States’ hostage recovery enterprise by creating the government entities tasked with leading the recovery of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.
Panelists, including current and former administration officials, NGO partners, and families of those detained, discussed ways the hostage recovery enterprise has been successful, identified barriers that impede the return of American captives, and explored what must be done from legislative and structural perspectives to deter and prevent hostage-taking.
“U.S. hostage and wrongful detainee recovery and deterrence remains one of today’s top bipartisan issues as it has been for the past decade,” said Pedro Pizano, assistant director of the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative and Global Democracy Programs at the McCain Institute. “Now is the time to work towards improving our practices for the next ten years to recover all those unjustly detained, support families more, and stop those who would take them in the first place. Among these measures is enhancing deterrence tools, such as designating repeat state offenders such as Venezuela, Iran, China, and Russia, and others as ‘State Sponsors of Wrongful or Unlawful Detention.’”
“For the president, hostage recovery is a personal issue—it’s the number one priority for the president,” said Deputy Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director of Counterterrorism Dr. Sebastian Gorka. “The things that the Levinson Act, that PPD 30 made possible, are now being made possible in practice because of the commitment from President Trump.”
“No one in the national security community likes to think of themselves at failing at their job, but it was painfully and abundantly clear that [before PPD 30] the families of American hostages did not trust their U.S. government interlocutors, and the families did not feel as though their voices were being heard sufficiently,” said Nicholas Rasmussen, founder of the McCain Institute’s National Security and Counterterrorism Fellowship and former director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). “There was anger and rage that needed to be shared with the administration, and it was the dose of cold water that forced the [Obama] administration to reckon with a policy that wasn’t delivering results for the American people. This opened the door to beginning anew and has led us to this better place.”
“Media exposure in the U.S. is critical—I can’t quantify the importance it had in freeing Sagui [Dekel-Chen] or any other hostage—but U.S. admin officials and senior congressional members repeatedly told us that the high level of media exposure that we were able to produce kept them focused on hostage recovery above the more than one hundred other issues they’re focused on. You can’t overstate the importance of keeping the administration engaged,” said Jonathan Dekel-Chen, father of former American-Israeli hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen.
“After my father was taken, I remember being in the White House in December 2010—there were only four people in the room during our meeting, and nobody was able to walk me through what was said or what was going on. Since PPD 30, we now have family engagement coordinators to help families process what just happened, what the people in the room do, what questions to ask them, and how to make the meeting worthwhile. Just the idea that families now have somebody who is with them and can help them guide them through on how to leverage these meetings to get their loved ones home is very impactful, and thanks to PPD 30,” said Doug Levinson, son of Robert Levinson and John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative advisory board member.
The McCain Institute recently launched the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative (FPPI) to provide vital support to Americans and green card holders who are held overseas as political prisoners or hostages, as well as dissidents, political prisoners, and hostages from other nations who are held around the world by repressive regimes.
Inspired by Senator John McCain, a vocal and passionate advocate for those wrongfully held for fighting against tyranny, and his experience as a prisoner of war for over five years, FPPI will provide critical support to individual prisoners and their families. This includes outreach to key decision-makers at the highest level of the U.S. government, direct assistance from expert practitioners, strategic communications to galvanize ongoing support for the release of prisoners, and post-return support to help individuals reacclimate after their detainment. Learn more HERE.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.