Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, a leader of Beijing’s unregistered Zion Church, has been released from detention in China and has arrived in Los Angeles, where he has reunited with his family. Jin was among 18 church leaders detained in October in what was described as one of the country’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades. His release came less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump said he discussed Jin’s case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a May visit to Beijing.
Jin’s family said the release happened quickly and thanked Trump, adding that they believed it would not have occurred without Xi’s direct intervention. Trump had told reporters on his return from China that Xi said he would strongly consider the pastor’s case. The White House did not immediately comment. Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation said Jin had arrived in Los Angeles and was finally back with his relatives after years of separation.
Rights advocates welcomed the development but said it did not resolve broader concerns over religious freedom in China. Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch said at least eight members of Zion Church remain detained and called for their release. Zion Church is one of China’s largest underground Protestant congregations and operates outside the state registration system, which requires believers to worship only in officially approved churches. Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, previously said her father founded the church so worshippers could practice freely without party oversight.
The case has unfolded amid wider scrutiny of China’s approach to religion and minority identity under Xi. The Communist Party, which is officially atheist, has promoted the “Sinicization” of religion, requiring greater alignment with party priorities. More broadly, Beijing has advanced policies and laws that officials say are aimed at strengthening national unity, while rights groups argue they expand pressure on religious and ethnic minorities and narrow space for independent belief and cultural expression. Jin’s release has therefore been seen by supporters as a rare positive outcome, even as critics say the underlying system of control remains in place.