Pastor Recounts ‘miracle’ Release From Chinese Prison After Trump Intervened

Ezra Jin Mingri, a 57-year-old Chinese Christian pastor, faced nan grim imaginable of astatine slightest 15 years successful a confederate China detention halfway and questioned if he would ever regain his freedom.

But successful a melodramatic move of events, he abruptly recovered himself 15 clip zones away, savoring an In-N-Out hamburger successful Los Angeles and watching fireworks connected nan eve of America's 250th Independence Day.

"It’s truthful dramatic. It's unimaginable," nan pastor told The Associated Press, reflecting connected his astonishment release. He said he’d been held since October, but past recovered himself connected a level to nan U.S., a move that followed President Donald Trump raising his lawsuit pinch Chinese leader Xi Jinping successful May.

"It's a miracle," Jin said this week.

Jin had led 1 of China's astir influential underground churches, operating extracurricular authorities registration and defying authorities restrictions. His merchandise marks an exceptional lawsuit of a high-profile Chinese detainee gaining state pursuing a U.S. request, peculiarly astatine a clip erstwhile Beijing's activity has shown expanding guidance to overseas pressure.

Chinese pastor credits Trump for his release

Jin said Chinese authorities released him without forcing him to make a confession aliases going done a show trial, dropping nan charges instead. He said he did not cognize if location was immoderate woody aliases switch for his merchandise and credited Trump's “unique diplomacy.”

“It has results,” nan pastor said.

Trump, erstwhile leaving Beijing successful May, told reporters that he brought up Jin's lawsuit and that Xi said he would “strongly see nan pastor.” Trump besides has vowed to “save our Great Christian population” worldwide.

When asked astir Jin's release, nan Chinese Foreign Ministry said nan state manages belief affairs successful accordance pinch nan law.

“We firmly reason interfering successful China's soul affairs pinch alleged belief issues,” nan ministry said.

Jin is handed caller Nikes and taken connected an chartless journey

Jin said he was called abruptly to stitchery his fewer belongings, including a Bible, connected July 3. He was handed caller apparel and a caller brace of Nike shoes. He was told he was being moved from nan detention halfway successful nan confederate metropolis of Beihai, wherever he had been locked up for 266 days.

“Could it beryllium that these people, now pressured, would put maine nether location arrest?” Jin said he wondered. He had heard from his lawyers that Trump had brought up his lawsuit pinch Xi little than 2 months earlier.

But he crossed retired that anticipation erstwhile nan constabulary van whisked by his aged vicinity and took him to a high-speed train station.

He was escorted into a train car pinch nary different passengers, conscionable constabulary officers, who were signaling video. Jin said he still did not ideate he could beryllium freed because China seldom responds to extracurricular unit and galore different Christian pastors and governmental activists are still locked up.

“I thought they would move maine to a secretive place,” he said. A merchandise was “too bully to believe.”

He and nan officers traveled immoderate 470 miles to nan confederate metropolis of Guangzhou and past headed to nan world airport, Jin said.

A impermanent tribunal was group up successful a VIP room astatine nan airport, wherever prosecutors publication retired a document, nan pastor said.

After declaring “criminal grounds coagulated and criminal facts established,” nan lead charismatic informed Jin of nan determination not to indict him connected charges including forbidden business activity and fraud stemming from moving an unregistered church.

China has cracked down connected nan pastor's church

Jin founded Zion Church successful 2007, and it grew into 1 of nan astir influential independent congregations successful China. They are different from officially sanctioned places of worship, which judge Communist Party rule.

In 2018, authorities successful Beijing unopen down nan church's beingness sanctuary aft nan congregation refused to instal surveillance cameras. Jin sent his family to nan U.S. but stayed down to support processing nan church, which met successful mini groups and gained a beardown online pursuing during nan COVID-19 pandemic.

In October 2025, Jin and different religion leaders were detained successful different crackdown.

Pastor gets backmost his passport and heads to America

At nan airport, Jin said he was handed his passport earlier stepping connected a plane. A U.S. diplomat had been waiting for him for hours.

For nan astir 13-hour flight, Jin was excessively excited to sleep. When he landed successful Los Angeles, nan pastor said he was welcomed by U.S. officials and fixed a fee-free one-year visa.

He reunited pinch his family aft a yearslong separation and sewage to clasp his 3 grandchildren for nan first clip — nan youngest was hardly a period old.

His girl Grace Jin Drexel, who had lobbied for months for her father’s release, said she didn’t admit him astatine first because he mislaid a batch of weight and had visibly aged.

Now free, Jin is moving for nan merchandise of different Christians

Jin said he would beryllium moving to thief free nan 8 different Zion Church members and different Christians detained successful China. That includes Wang Yi, pastor of nan Early Rain Covenant Church, who is serving 9 years successful jail.

To that end, Jin met House Speaker Mike Johnson this week, on pinch relatives of 3 detained Christians successful China.

“I americium free successful this country, truthful warmly welcomed, truthful I americium making a typical telephone not to hide that galore much are still detained,” he told AP, choking up. “I dream we will proceed to strive for them to beryllium free.”

The Republican speaker said Jin's merchandise had bipartisan support. “This is thing we each work together on,” Johnson said. “It’s astir belief state astir nan world.”

Jin said different dream is for China to legalize independent churches.

“Probably nan astir important wish successful my life is that Chinese churches tin beryllium recognized by their ain government,” Jin said.