China frees underground pastor Ezra Jin after Trump's intervention
Ezra Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church, was released from Chinese detention and reunited with his family in Los Angeles on July 4, less than two months after President Trump raised his case with Xi Jinping.
Release and reunion
Ezra Jin Mingri, the 57-year-old founder of the underground Zion Church, was freed from Chinese custody on Friday, July 3, after more than 250 days in detention. He landed in Los Angeles the following day, July 4, where he was reunited with his daughter Grace Jin Drexel and met his one-month-old grandson for the first time. The family had not seen him since 2020 due to a travel ban. Chinese authorities described the release as a "gesture of goodwill" marking the 250th anniversary of US independence, according to the Christian rights group ChinaAid.
We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling overwhelmed with joy.
Diplomatic intervention
President Donald Trump raised Jin's case directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state visit to Beijing in May. After the meeting, Trump told reporters that Xi was "seriously considering" the pastor's release. Chinese officials later informed the family that the decision was a direct result of that conversation. Trump also brought up the detention of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, but Lai remains imprisoned.
He said he's gonna strongly consider the pastor.
- Ezra Jin arrested in Beihai, charged with illegally using information networks.
- Trump meets Xi in Beijing, raises Jin's case; Xi says he will 'strongly consider' release.
- Jin released from detention after more than 250 days.
- Jin arrives in Los Angeles, reunites with family on US Independence Day.
The Zion Church and crackdown
Jin founded the evangelical Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 with about 20 followers. It grew into one of China's largest unregistered Protestant congregations, with an estimated 1,500 members and a network of house churches in roughly 40 cities. Authorities shut down its physical premises in 2018 after the group resisted installing government surveillance cameras. Jin moved operations online, broadcasting sermons that reached around 10,000 people nationwide. In October 2025, police arrested Jin and 17 other church leaders during overnight raids, charging them with "illegally using information networks." Rights groups called it one of the strictest crackdowns on religious activity in modern Chinese history.
Remaining detainees
While Jin's release was welcomed, rights advocates stressed that the broader repression continues. At least eight members of the Zion Church remain in detention, according to Human Rights Watch and ChinaAid. Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid, said "countless" religious practitioners are still incarcerated. Maya Wang, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called for their immediate release.
At least 8 members of Zion Church remain detained in China. They should all be freed.
Reactions
Jin's family expressed gratitude to both Trump and Xi, saying they hoped the release signaled a positive turn for religious believers in China and for bilateral relations. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of Western lawmakers, said it was "overjoyed." China's foreign ministry has not commented publicly on the case. Jin's daughter, who testified before the US Congress about her father's detention in November 2025, is married to a well-connected Republican, which some analysts say may have helped elevate the case.
