Prisoners were released as the Trump administration put American citizens in jail.

Representatives of the detainees told the Associated Press on Wednesday that Kuwait released a group of U.S. prisoners, including military personnel and military contractors who have been sentenced to years in prison for drug-related charges, a move seen as a goodwill gesture between the two allies.

The press release comes after the recent visit to the region by Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s top hostage envoy, and is sentenced to jail when the U.S. government continues to work to bring U.S. citizens home.

Jonathan Franks, who accompanied six newly released prisoners on a flight from Kuwait to New York, is a private consultant who works in cases involving American hostages and detainees and has helped ensure their release in the country.

“My clients and their families thank the Kuwait government for taking this humanitarian gesture,” Franks said in a statement.

He said his clients remained innocence and the other Americans he represented would be released later by Kuwait.

The State Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The names of the released prisoners were not immediately made public.

Kuwait is a small oil-rich country bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia and near Iran, and is considered a major non-NATO ally of the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently paid tribute to the relationship last month when he said the United States “unwaveringly supports Kuwait’s sovereignty and the well-being of its people.”

Close military partnership

Since the U.S. launched the 1991 Gulf War, these countries have established close military partnerships to expel Iraqi troops after the invasion of the then Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, with about 13,500 U.S. troops stationed in Camp Arifjan and Ali al-Salem Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

However, Kuwait has also detained many U.S. military contractors over the years on drug charges. Their family claims that their loved ones are imprisoned in a country that prohibits drinking and have strict laws on drugs.

Others accused Kuwait police of making victory charges against them and creating evidence.

The State Department warns travelers that drug charges in Kuwait can be sentenced to long-term imprisonment and death penalty.

A defense cooperation agreement between the United States and Kuwait may include provisions that ensure that U.S. military is limited only to U.S. law, although this may not include contractors.

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, his Republican administration has released American teacher Mark Fogel in a swap with a prisoner in Russia and announced that Belarus has released a prisoner in the United States.

Americans released by the U.S. government on Wednesday were not mistakenly detained. The status applies to subsections of Americans imprisoned abroad and historically ensures that the case is handled by the Special Envoy of the Government’s Hostage Affairs Special Envoy – the office is responsible for handling the negotiations for release.

But advocates of people who have been held abroad hope the Trump administration will take a more flexible approach and ensure the release of those who have not been wrongly detained.

“The sad reality is that these Americans have been sentenced to years in prison for a misleading policy, effectively abandoning Americans who were not mistakenly detained before President Trump took office,” Franks said in a statement.

“These releases are possible when the U.S. government prioritizes bringing Americans home,” he added.