On U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, Cornyn Calls for Renewed Emphasis on Texans David Barnes, Austin Tice

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On U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, Cornyn Calls for Renewed Emphasis on Texans David Barnes, Austin Tice

March 9, 2026

AUSTIN – On U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) called for renewed emphasis on the cases of Texans David Barnes, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four years, and Austin Tice, a Marine veteran who has been held captive in Syria for more than 13 years:

“For too long, innocent Texans like David Barnes and Austin Tice have been held in foreign countries under horrific conditions,” said Sen. Cornyn. “As we recognize U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, I urge President Trump and Secretary Rubio to continue their efforts to bring all hostages and wrongfully detained Americans home.”

Background:

In 2015, David Barnes was accused by his ex-wife of sexually abusing his two sons in Texas, one of whom has Russian nationality. An investigation found the accusation to not be credible, and no charges were filed against Barnes in the United States, and in 2022, Barnes traveled to Russia to regain contact with his sons and was arrested by Russian police, who had been informed by his ex-wife of the child sexual abuse accusations in Texas. In 2024, a Russian judge sentenced Barnes to 21 years in prison. Sen. Cornyn has been in contact with the State Department regarding Barnes’ case and has remained in consistent communication with Global Reach, an advocacy organization that is working to call attention to this case and sent a letter to President Trump last year.

While covering the Syrian Civil War as a journalist in 2012, Austin Tice was abducted in Syria by the Assad regime. Sen. Cornyn has been drawing focus to Tice’s case for more than a decade, including after the fall of the regime.