Pastor Freed from Chinese Prison after Trump Raised His Case with Xi Jinping

The pastor of a prominent underground church in China who was imprisoned by Chinese authorities last year has been released and reunited with his family in the U.S., according to reports.

Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, was one of nearly 30 Zion Church pastors and staff members detained in October during one of China’s largest crackdowns on evangelical churches in decades, according to the nonprofit advocacy group Luke Alliance.

Jin was released from detention and arrived in Los Angeles on Friday, ChinaAid reported. According to the Christian human rights organization, Chinese authorities told Jin he was being released due to negotiations between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

During a high-profile state visit to Beijing in May, Trump raised Jin’s case directly with the Chinese leader. On his flight back to the U.S., Trump told reporters that Xi promised to “strongly consider” the pastor’s release.

“We are feeling so overwhelmed with joy. We thank God for this tremendous miracle,” his daughter Grace Jin Drexel said in a family statement to CNN. (Read more from “Pastor Freed from Chinese Prison after Trump Raised His Case with Xi Jinping” HERE)