Number of U.S. nationals wrongfully held overseas fell in 2022 for the first time in 10 years, report finds

Washington — The number of U.S. nationals wrongfully detained overseas decreased for the first time in a decade, according to a new report, as the plight of Americans unjustly imprisoned abroad has garnered national attention with a series of high-profile prisoner swaps. 

The release of 21 U.S. nationals last year was "the largest number of publicly known wrongful detention releases in one year," according to the report released Wednesday by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which advocates for the freedom of Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad. The foundation has tracked cases dating to 2001. 

The decline comes as more Americans in recent years have been detained by foreign governments on what the U.S. says are politicized or unsubstantiated charges, prompting President Biden to declare it a national emergency.