Secretary of State Marco Rubio and FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia at a US. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Flag Raising Ceremony

MR BOEHLER:  Thanks, everybody, for being here.  It’s been a year since we were last gathered here, and I think we’ve made some progress.  The President of the United States has made it very clear holding Americans is a liability.  We’re working to change the feeling that it is okay to have hostages, to make it clear that we are going to bring every single American home. 

And we’ve made progress.  We’ve brought 175 people home – over 100 Americans, others – allies in Israel, other places.  I see some of you here in the room tonight.  But we’re not going to stop.  We’re not going to stop until all Americans are home.  (Applause.)

Now, Secretary Rubio – who we’re really appreciative is here with us today – has made it a clear priority.  In fact, he let Iran know that they are a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.  (Applause.)

And he has put other countries on notice – not just Iran, anyone that holds American citizens – Russia, Afghanistan, countries in Africa – that it’s not okay and we will not stop it until they’re home.

I want everybody to know our success is driven by a number of things.  First and foremost, it’s driven by the President of the United States, President Trump’s vision to get to peace through strength.  And that is why we’re succeeding, not only on the hostage side, but it’s why he’s succeeding broadly.

The second thing is a group of people – the FBI, State, our National Security Council – that are committed to bringing people home, and these are people that I am privileged to work with because they risk their lives.  Some people don’t know they’re behind the scenes, but I know how much they make a difference, and I know and I see when President Trump unleashes talent what we can do, how many people we can bring home.

So, I’d like to introduce you to our deputy director at the FBI, Deputy Director Christopher Raia, who’s been a huge partner with us, SPEHA, with State, in bringing people home.  So, thank you. (Applause.)

MR RAIA:  All right, good morning.  Thank you, Special Envoy Boehler, and thank you to everyone involved in organizing this important commemoration.  I want to begin by thanking Secretary Rubio, as well as Special Envoy Boehler, for their advocacy and support of the interagency efforts to bring home all Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad and to get justice and answers for the families.  This kind of advocacy is crucial.  It keeps the momentum alive and ensures their stories are never forgotten.  I also want to thank Dr. Gorka for his leadership and insight. 

Over the years the FBI and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell have worked to secure the recovery of many Americans held hostage, but the case of Bob Levinson hits especially close to home.  For nearly my entire career, we have been searching for Bob.  It is deeply personable –deeply personal to me, and I am extremely motived as the deputy director of the FBI to bring closure to his family.  As most of you know, Bob spent nearly three decades in service to our nation, including 22 years as an FBI special agent.  Quite simply, he was one of ours.  Our evidence suggests that Bob died in captivity in Iran, and he is the longest held American hostage in U.S. history.

Today, unfortunately, marks 19 years since his abduction, and tomorrow the Levinson family should have been celebrating Bob’s 78th birthday.  The urgency to uncover the facts of Bob’s disappearance has never been greater.  It would be deeply troubling to reach the 20-year mark without knowing what happened to him.  The Levinson family’s courage and advocacy have helped fuel years of tireless work by the FBI, the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, and our interagency partners who continue to develop new leads and intelligence with the hope of resolving the case before Bob’s next birthday.

Last year, as most of you saw, we released five posters seeking information on those we believe responsible for his kidnapping, detention, and probable death.  We have kept this story front and center, and we will never stop.  Additionally, we’ve shared a list of those involved in this crime with our interagency and foreign partners so they can pursue justice if the opportunity arises.

I’m deeply grateful to our agents, our employees, our investigative teams, and all the agency partners who have worked so hard to try to bring Bob home.  They have not wavered in their pursuit of answers and they continue to push forward every day.  They are fighting not only for Bob and his family but for the many – far too many – other families facing the same unimaginable circumstances.

We will not back down.  We will never abandon our own.  Our mission is clear:  Bring our citizens home and ensure those responsible face American justice. 

Thank you.  (Applause.)

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you.  I want to welcome everyone here to the State Department.  I wish it was on a happier occasion, although we do have things to celebrate in terms of Americans that have been returned.  But also we remember those who have not returned.

I want to open, first of all, just by stating the obvious.  The United States is currently engaged in an operation targeting one – the world’s leading hostage-taker, the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism – the regime in Iran.  And first, I think we would all take a moment both to offer our thoughts, our prayers, and our condolences, and to honor the families of those who have fallen – the seven Americans who have lost their lives in the initial hours of this operation.  Incredibly brave Americans, and you saw six of them –  dignified return over the weekend.  And we all, are all, in awe of their service, of their bravery, of their courage, and our hearts and our support extend out to their families in this very difficult moment, and – the families of these incredible heroes.

And heroic things are happening all the time, some of which will never make it to the headlines, but American men and women in uniform are conducting an extraordinary mission with extraordinary efficacy and efficiency and impact.  The goals of this mission are clear, and it’s important to continue to remind the American people of why it is that the greatest military in the history of the world is engaged in this operation.  It is to destroy the ability of this regime to launch missiles, both by destroying their missiles and their launchers; destroy the factories that make these missiles; and destroy their navy. 

I think we are all seeing right now the threat that this clerical regime poses to the region and to the world.  They are trying to hold the world hostage.  They are attacking their neighbors.  They are attacking neighboring countries, their energy infrastructure, their civilian population.  They’re attacking embassies.  This is a terrorist government.  This is a terroristic regime.  And we are seeing them conduct terrorism using nation-state elements, using weapons like missiles and one-way attack drones.  And the objective of this mission is to destroy their ability to continue to do that, and we are well on our way to achieving that objective.  Every single day – with overwhelming force, with overwhelming precision – the military, the United States military, the men and women in uniform are conducting an extraordinary operation. 

There are not a lot of cameras down there covering what they’re doing, as opposed to some of the other images that you may see from some of the cities and capitals nearby, but I want everyone to know your military is getting the job done.  And every single day, this regime in Iran has less missiles, has less launchers, their factories work less, and their navy is being eviscerated.  And the world is going to be a safer and a better place when this mission is accomplished. 

And we – (applause) – now, we are here today, obviously, on something that touches right on Iran, but I think unfortunately is not just limited to Iran.  And we’re here on the third U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, and it’s a day that exists because families and loved ones – because families refuse to let their loved ones be forgotten.  We have this day to celebrate those who return to honor those who perished in captivity and commit to returning those who are still in detention – and holding also the perpetrators of this accountable. 

Last year marked 10 years of what they call SPEHA and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell.  These were entities that were created with a specific mission of bringing Americans who are unjustly detained, bringing them home.  And because of this mission – because the heart of this mission really can be captured in one word, and that one word is “homecoming,” reuniting people to their loved ones. 

Four years ago, 50-plus families in the Bring Our Families Home campaign created the flag that flies here today.  It’s a symbol of solidarity; it’s a symbol of resolve.  It’s flown in honor of Americans brought home over the past three years and the Americans yet to be brought home to their families.  And many of the families and – of the returnees and the advocates who made those moment – who made those moments possible are with us here today. 

And we want to thank you for your advocacy, for never allowing us or anyone to forget of those Americans that are unjustly detained, and we’re especially grateful to those who themselves who are detained.  It would be perfectly understandable if you decided, I’m back home, I’m going to go on with the rest of my life.  Your willingness to step forward to tell your stories and to not – and to ensure that other Americans who are similarly situated to the way you – where you once were are not forgotten.  We’re truly grateful.  Your persistence, your courage, your love for your family members continues to drive this effort and days like today.

As was already pointed out, March 9th marks the day that Robert Levinson went missing in Iran, and actually it was in a case that I was also very involved in as a United States senator, dating back to my very first day in the Senate.  In fact, one of the first meetings I had – and to this I credit my former colleague.  Senator Bill Nelson of Florida introduced me to this case as soon as I got elected, and – because of Mr. Levinson’s ties to Florida.  And we remained on that case throughout my career in the United States Senate, and it’s one we will not forget.  It’s indicative of two things: the fact that Americans are taken all over the world, but it is particularly a reminder of the nature of the regime that we’re dealing with in Tehran.

We’re honored to have his sons here today, Dan and Doug, with us.  Thank you for being here.  We appreciate you very much.  (Applause.)

And so today, in recognition of their extraordinary dedication – and really, everyone’s here’s – but in particular we’ve dedicated the flag flown here today to the Levinson family.  And – (applause.) 

I think it’s also important to give President Donald Trump a tremendous amount of credit.  He has made, from the very first day in office, the return of Americans held abroad unjustly a priority of his administration.  And since his inauguration a little over a year ago, over 100 Americans have been brought home.  (Applause.) 

And by the way, here at the State Department, Adam and his team have done – long working with our partners in the FBI and really across the interagency – have done a phenomenal job in facilitating that.  And they deserve a lot of credit as well.  But the President isn’t just focused on homecomings.  He’s also focused on ending the cycle of exploitation, of saying enough is enough, of ending the cycle in which Americans are somehow viewed as a valuable commodity, that you can grab an American, you can unjustly hold them, and then try to trade them later on for some diplomatic concession or some political concession.  We have to end that cycle.  We have to – we have to make sure that Americans are no longer viewed as targets of opportunity around the world, and – and nation-states and terroristic regimes like the one in Iran know that there are consequences for doing that. 

And that’s why we established the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention designation, in essence designating governments and entities that specifically use this as a tool of leverage to their benefit and to our detriment.  They view Americans as a commodity that they can grab onto and then trade in the future.  That cycle has to stop, and that’s why this designation now exists.  And that’s why we – the first, I believe, country we designated, right, under this authority on February 27th was this clerical, terroristic regime in Iran.  Because when it comes to hostage taking, there has been no worse offender in the world than the clerical regime in Tehran.  They are the worst offenders in the world of terrorism and they are the worst offenders in the world of hostage taking, from their very early days.  And so they were our first designation. 

They were founded, unfortunately, on an assault on the brave men and women of our Foreign and Civil Service that were located there in Tehran.  And the message is going to be very clear:  The United States will not tolerate hostage diplomacy.  They’re not going to tolerate – we’re not going to – we’re going to continue to hold that regime accountable –and all other regimes that engage in this – accountable for these practices. 

So, in closing, let me just say today we honor those who are still waiting, it celebrates those who returned, and it remembers those whose homecoming came sadly and tragically in a different way.  But our mission, even as we remember and honor those from the past, we – our mission is forward-looking.  We believe in homecomings, we work for homecomings, and under the President’s leadership, we will not stop until every single unjustly detained American is brought home.

Thank you.  (Applause.)