Marc Fogel taught at my school in Russia – we should thank President Trump

President Donald Trump’s commitment to bringing Americans home made all the difference to Marc Fogel. After enduring several grueling years of captivity in a Russian prison and not knowing when — or if — he would return home, it is a blessing to see him touch down on U.S. soil and be welcomed at the White House. 

For me, Fogel’s return is not just a welcome headline. As a young American living in Moscow, his wife was one of my first teachers while I grew accustomed to attending a school in the heart of Russia. In 2012, Fogel’s wife, Jane, taught me sixth grade science. Fogel himself also taught at the school and many former classmates of mine took his history classes and viewed him as an excellent teacher and person. Although I never personally met Marc, I have always felt a strong connection to his case and desperately wanted to see him return home with his wife and family. 

Fogel, a Pennsylvanian, was detained in 2021 for possessing less than an ounce of medical cannabis prescribed for chronic back pain. He was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony on charges of drug smuggling and possession. Despite years of pleas by his family to be included in prisoner swaps, the Biden administration was unable to secure his release. 

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It was immediately clear that the Russians were wrongfully detaining Fogel. However, the Biden administration did not legally declare him as such. By contrast, the Biden administration almost immediately declared WNBA player Brittney Griner as “wrongfully detained” for nearly identical circumstances. 

This designation matters because it requires the U.S. government to actively work to gain the wrongfully detained American’s release, transfer the case to hostage and detainee negotiators, and allocate additional resources to the case. After years of delay, and at the last minute, the Biden administration publicly designated Fogel as “wrongfully detained” a few weeks before Trump was set to return to the White House. 

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Thankfully, Trump took securing Fogel’s release seriously. In fact, Fogel’s mother, Malphine, was set to join Trump’s July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the rally was cut short due to the assassination attempt against Trump, and she did not speak to the crowd. Before the rally, however, Trump met with her and pledged to secure Fogel’s release. 

After entering the White House, Trump kept his promise — and delivered. Within one month of taking office, Trump, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, secured Fogel’s release with a “fair” exchange. Clearly, Trump has prioritized the return of Americans held overseas, including the release of six Americans from Venezuela and his demands to release hostages held in Gaza. 

In addition to keeping Americans safe at home, Trump’s seriousness about keeping Americans safe overseas sends a strong message to adversaries who may want to detain Americans. From Russia to Gaza, or China to Venezuela, Trump has made clear he is going to put America first and is prepared to fight on behalf of the American people. It’s no longer business as usual, and that is bad news for America’s enemies. 

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FILE: Ellen Keelan, center, and other family members rally outside the White House on July 15, 2023, for the release of Marc Fogel, who was detained in Russia since August 2021. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

With Fogel back in the United States, all those involved should celebrate his return as a successful example of American diplomacy. But importantly, the job is never over. Other Americans remain wrongfully detained overseas, and it is the U.S. government’s fundamental responsibility to bring them home. Despite their uncertain situations, Americans that are wrongfully detained around the world should take solace in the fact that President Trump and his administration are fighting hard to bring them home. 

In the White House, Fogel called himself “a middle-class schoolteacher who’s now in a dream world” and called Trump “a hero.” Every American should be grateful to have a president that fights for every citizen—including and especially those wrongfully detained overseas. I certainly am. 

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