Intel: How Congress is trying to get US prisoners out of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey

Congress is cracking down on increased instances of arrests of US citizens and diplomatic staff by American security partners in the Middle East.

The Senate’s foreign aid panel on Thursday adopted bipartisan language in a report accompanying its annual spending bill that would bar Saudi, Egyptian and Turkish officials from entering the United States if they have been “involved in the wrongful detention” of US citizens or locally employed staff at US diplomatic missions.

“Our government needs to send a clear message — we will not tolerate the wrongful detention of Americans or the foreign nationals serving Americans at our diplomatic missions around the world,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who introduced the amendment, said in a statement after the Senate panel unanimously advanced the spending bill. “Following the actions taken by officials of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, this provision will do just that.” 

Why it matters: Congress hopes that threatening officials from the three US security partners will make them think twice before detaining American citizens and employees.