The Trump administration is expected to issue an executive order as early as Friday establishing a designation for state sponsors of wrongful detention, CBS News has learned, in a move that would allow the U.S. to punish countries that illegally detain U.S. nationals or take them hostage.

The effort is aimed at curbing the number of Americans who elect to travel to such countries, and encouraging the leaders of those countries to immediately free Americans currently held there.

Modeled after the designation of state sponsors of terrorism, the measure would provide tools for the State Department to penalize nations that use detained Americans as political leverage and potentially issue geographic travel restrictions on where a U.S. passport can be used.

The U.S. government does not publi

See Full Page