A prominent Christian pastor has been freed from prison in China and is now safe inside the U.S.
Pastor Ezra Jin Mingiri arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 4, 2026. The release came after President Trump raised his case during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing two months ago.
Jin founded Zion Church in 2007. In 2018, the communist government banned the church, prompting Jin to help establish an underground house church. Zion Church then grew to 10,000 members.
Here's the rest of the story.
Be informed, not misled.
NBC News reported this: "An underground church pastor has been released from prison in China and has arrived in the United States, less than two months after President Donald Trump publicly raised his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping."
Ezra Jin Mingri, who founded Beijing’s Zion Church, was detained in October of last year along with 17 other church leaders in what was one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single religious congregation in decades.
The U.S.-based advocacy group ChinaAid, which monitors religious persecution in China, said Saturday that Jin had arrived in Los Angeles following his release.
Jin’s detention drew international attention in May, when Trump said he had personally discussed the pastor’s imprisonment with Xi during a state visit to Beijing. Trump said he had also raised the imprisonment of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai and urged the Chinese leader to reconsider both cases.
“I think he’s giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his return flight from Beijing, but added that Lai’s case would be more difficult.
Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, thanked Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials for securing Jin’s release, but urged the administration to continue making “religious freedom and the release of all prisoners of faith a top priority in every engagement with Beijing.
Fox News said, "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."
Fox reported, "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.
"We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership," she said, adding that this would not have been possible "without the direct intervention from Chairman Xi Jinping."
The family had been separated for nearly a decade after Drexel's mother and brothers fled China in 2018 after authorities shut down Zion Church’s physical sanctuary in Beijing. Drexel previously told Fox News Digital her father felt called to stay behind in China. She had not seen him in person since 2020.
Drexel also said that the family hoped Jin’s release would be "a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations."
"These pastors and co-workers are being treated as criminals simply because they faithfully shepherded a large, legally unregistered church that refused to submit to CCP control and surveillance," ChinaAid said in a November statement calling for their release and international pressure.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the detentions of the Zion Church members in October and asked the Chinese government to release them.
He said, "This crackdown further demonstrates how the CCP exercises hostility towards Christians who reject Party interference in their faith and choose to worship at unregistered house churches."
"We call on the CCP," he continued, " to immediately release the detained church leaders and to allow all people of faith, including members of house churches, to engage in religious activities without fear of retribution."
Takeaway
In a recent X post, Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid acknowledged the unified effort between the Body of Christ and political leadership that achieved Jin's freedom. "We rejoice with Pastor Ezra Jin, his family, and the global Body of Christ on this remarkable Independence Day miracle," Fu wrote.
"We thank Almighty God for hearing the prayers of His people. We are deeply grateful to President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and all U.S. officials who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to secure Pastor Jin's freedom. Their unwavering commitment demonstrates that principled leadership and persistent diplomacy can make a life-saving difference," he added.
During a January USCIRF hearing on violations of freedom of religion or belief against Christians abroad, Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) highlighted the need for international unification to combat religious persecution.
"Religious freedom is not just a Western value, it's a human right," said Rep. Alford. "And when violated anywhere, it should concern freedom-loving people everywhere."
Amen.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Bold. Be Faithful. Be Prayerful.