White House Weighs In as New Jersey Prepares for Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day
March 6, 2026, 11:50 am | in
White House Weighs In as New Jersey Prepares for Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day
3/6/2026
TRENTON, N.J. — The White House responded Thursday to a press release from Assemblyman Michael Inganamort highlighting New Jersey’s first-ever Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, bringing national attention to the case of missing FBI agent Robert Levinson and the families of Americans still held abroad.
“President Trump has been clear that he wants every American wrongfully detained to be returned home safe and sound, and that there will be dire consequences for regimes who treat Americans as political pawns,” said White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly Thursday.
The comment underscores the growing national attention on Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained, an issue Inganamort said New Jersey sought to highlight by establishing the observance.
“When the White House joins this conversation, it sends a powerful message that these families are not forgotten,” Inganamort said (R-Morris). “New Jersey is proud to lead the nation in recognizing Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, and we will keep pushing until every American held abroad is brought home.”
New Jersey created Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day earlier this year through resolutions sponsored by Inganamort and Sen. Parker Space. The observance honors Americans held abroad and the families who continue to fight for answers.
The date, March 9, was chosen to recognize the case of Robert Levinson, the retired FBI agent and private investigator who disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working on a CIA mission. Levinson is believed to be the longest-held American hostage in history.
One of Levinson’s daughters, Sarah, lives in Inganamort’s legislative district and helped advocate for the state recognition, which makes New Jersey the first state in the nation to formally observe the day and fly the Hostage and Wrongful Detainee flag.
As of late 2025, the U.S. government believes nearly 50 Americans are being held hostage or wrongfully detained in at least 13 countries.
New Jersey is scheduled to fly the flag over the Statehouse on Monday in observance of the day.
