Marine Corps veteran and journalist Austin Tice has spent exactly 12 years in captivity in Syria, and U.S. lawmakers are using the anniversary to push the Biden administration to secure his release.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., along with 34 other senators in both parties, sent President Joe Biden a letter last week reiterating their call for him to do everything he can to bring Tice home.
"As a beloved son, brother, Eagle Scout, journalist and veteran, Austin represents the best our nation has to offer, and we are committed to working with you to return him to his loving family," the senators wrote in their letter, which was republicized Wednesday to mark the anniversary of Tice's detention. "As an American and a veteran, Austin deserves the full and active support of our government to secure his release."
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In his own statement Wednesday, Biden said he has "repeatedly pressed" the Syrian government to work with his administration on Tice's release.
"Today, I once again call for his immediate release," Biden said in the statement. "We stand in solidarity with Austin, his family, and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage abroad. I will continue to do everything possible to advocate for and pursue his release and support his loved ones until he is safely returned home."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken similarly said in a statement Wednesday that U.S. officials "have repeatedly offered to find a way to bring him home."
The 12-year anniversary of Tice's disappearance and renewed attention on his case come after the Biden administration earlier this month secured what's been described as the biggest prisoner swap with Russia since the Cold War. The exchange freed two dozen detainees, including former Marine Paul Whelan and journalist Evan Gershkovich.
While that prisoner swap was widely celebrated for bringing unjustly detained Americans home, some also lamented that Tice continues to languish in captivity.
"We hope and pray that our government will also work with determination and essential engagement to make our family whole again and secure Austin's safe return," Tice's parents said in a statement after the U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange. "We have the same desire for every family missing a loved one."
Tice is a former Marine infantry officer who deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. He was promoted to captain as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve in 2009.
On Aug. 14, 2012, while working as a freelance reporter covering the Syrian civil war, Tice was abducted at a checkpoint outside Damascus.
While the Syrian government has repeatedly denied it is holding Tice, Biden said in a statement two years ago marking the 10th anniversary of his disappearance that the U.S. government knows "with certainty" that Syria is holding the former Marine captive.
The FBI is offering a $1 million reward for information "leading directly to the safe location, recovery, and return" of Tice.
Little has been seen or heard from Tice since he was abducted, outside of a brief video released a few months after his disappearance, but his parents said in 2018 that information offered in hopes of the reward led them to believe he was alive.
In addition to the bipartisan Senate letter, other top lawmakers also released statements Wednesday urging Tice's release.
Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., said he is committed "to continue working with the Biden-Harris administration and all those with the power to help pursue every possible avenue to reunite Austin with his loved ones."
Meanwhile, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Mike McCaul, R-Texas, insisted that "Austin must be unconditionally released now so he can be reunited with his family."
-- Patricia Kime contributed to this story.
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