Bennet, Schumer, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Escalate Efforts to Rescue U.S. Nationals Detained in Russia

About About Michael Legislation News Press Releases Social Media Newsletter Archive Services Priorities Top Issues Child Tax Credit Investing in Colorado Contact Map Español Acerca de Michael Escribe a Michael Prioridades Servicios Visitando D.C. Bennet, Schumer, Colleagues Call on Trump Administration to Escalate Efforts to Rescue U.S. Nationals Detained in Russia Following the Release of Robert Gilman After 1666 Days, Senators Fight for Five Others Who Remain in Captivity Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 14 Senate Democratic colleagues on a letter urging the Trump administration to escalate […] Aug 17, 2026 | Press Releases Following the Release of Robert Gilman After 1666 Days, Senators Fight for Five Others Who Remain in Captivity Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 14 Senate Democratic colleagues on a letter urging the Trump administration to escalate efforts to rescue U.S. nationals held in Russian custody and develop a clear and comprehensive plan to secure the release of American detainees. In their letter, the senators urged the Trump administration to employ all diplomatic, economic, and political means available to secure the release of five U.S. nationals who Russia continues to detain – some for more than four years. In the years following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has wrongfully detained multiple U.S. nationals – including Stephen Hubbard, who has ties to Colorado. Russia has sentenced them to years of detention with little to no evidence of criminality and used their detainment as leverage over the United States. Bennet has been and will continue working with the State Department to bring Mr. Hubbard home. “Families of detainees endure significant emotional and financial hardship while awaiting progress on the release of their loved ones,” the senators wrote . “Several of our offices have received troubling reports from family and community members regarding the conditions of detention of their loved ones and the perpetual nature of their detention. Many detainees have remained in Russian custody for years with no clear pathway for their release or return to the United States. As time passes, the physical, emotional, and psychological toll on both the detainees and their families continues to mount.” Accordingly, the senators urged the administration to: Continue to demand and ensure adequate consular access to all U.S. nationals held in Russian detention; Expedite the consideration and employment of the “wrongful detention” designation as intended under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act ( Levinson Act ) and subsequent legislation that has expanded the Levinson Act , including continued communication with Congress on the criteria and deliberations of such designations; Have a plan and path forward to secure the release of U.S. nationals currently detained in the Russian Federation outside of stalled negotiations related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or broader issues in the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship; and Consider the use of the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention designation that the United States has already used on other repeat offender nations, including Iran and Afghanistan. In addition to Bennet and Schumer, Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) signed the letter. Bennet has consistently advocated to free U.S. nationals wrongfully detained abroad, including Hubbard. Bennet also worked with the State Department and other stakeholders to help secure the March 2026 release of Dennis Coyle, a Colorado native who the Taliban had wrongfully detained in Afghanistan. The text of the letter is available HERE and below. Dear Secretary Rubio: We write to express our grave concern for the U.S. nationals detained by the Russian Federation under circumstances that raise serious questions about their safety and wellbeing, due process, and violations to international norms. In particular, we write with concern for U.S. nationals who have been detained for extended periods and are recognized by the Department of State as ‘cases of concern’ but who have not yet been designated as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (“Levinson Act”) by the Department, a reality which deeply undermines the negotiating position of the United States in securing their safe and rightful return home, perpetuating their suffering u