Biden facing growing pressure to secure release of Americans detained in Russia after Reed prisoner swap

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Families of Americans detained in Russia push for Biden admin to bring prisoners home

Trevor Reed's father, Joey Reed, his sister, Taylor Reed, and Paul Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan joined 'America's Newsroom' to discuss Reed's release and the push for Whelan to return home.

The families of Americans detained in Russia are pushing for the Biden administration to bring more prisoners home as numerous individuals remain trapped behind enemy lines. 

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The sister of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine detained in Russia, and the father and sister of Trevor Reed, an American released in a prisoner swap with Russia last month, spoke out against "wrongful" detentions Wednesday on "America's Newsroom."

"It does, unfortunately, take the White House, the administration, to work out what tools need to be used to bring Americans home," Elizabeth Whelan told co-hosts Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino. 

"We were shocked and devastated, actually, that Paul was left behind," she continued. "So now we're asking the administration to finish this up, bring my brother Paul Whelan home, bring Brittney Griner home as well, and overall, to try to solve this problem of wrongful detention. It's a national security issue."

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U.S. Marine Trevor Reed landed in Texas, April 28, 2022, after a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia. (Rep. August Pfluger)

Paul Whelan is currently serving a 16-year sentence in a maximum security prison in Russia after he was accused of espionage, which he claims is false. He was arrested in December 2018. 

"We just tell her to keep fighting," Reed's father Joey said. "He deserves his country and his president to bring him home."

Reed returned to the U.S. following April's prisoner swap in exchange for Russian drug trafficker Konstantin Yaroshenko. 

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Reed was arrested in Russia in 2019, accused of assaulting a police officer. He was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2020. Reed's family has maintained his innocence and the U.S. government described him as unjustly maintained.

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"Trevor's main concern at this point is the other families that are going through the same thing that we've been dealing with all of this time," Reed's sister Taylor said. 

Basketball star Brittney Griner is also currently detained in Russia after officials discovered a cannabis vape in her bag in February. She could face 10 years behind bars if convicted.