Jin Mingri Released and Travels to the US
Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church, has been released from prison in China and has traveled to the United States, less than two months after his detention was raised directly by former US President Donald Trump.
The pastor was imprisoned following overnight raids across China in October 2025, which Christian groups described as one of the strictest crackdowns on religious activity in the country’s modern history.
The Chinese government maintains tight control over religious practices and officially promotes atheism.
Family Statement and Official Responses
Jin’s family issued a statement expressing their gratitude to supporters and describing his release as a miracle.
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy."
The Chinese foreign ministry has not issued an official comment regarding Jin’s case.
In their statement, the family also thanked the US president and the Trump administration for their leadership, acknowledging the role of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s direct intervention.
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy"
"We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations."
Confirmation of Arrival and Ongoing Detentions
ChinaAid, a US-based rights organization monitoring religious persecution, confirmed that Jin, also known as Ezra Jin, arrived in Los Angeles following his release.
Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid, welcomed Jin’s release but noted that many religious practitioners remain imprisoned in China, including eight members of the Zion Church.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a coalition of Western lawmakers including dozens of UK MPs, expressed their joy at the news.
Trump’s Intervention and Other Detentions
During a state visit to Beijing in May, then-US President Donald Trump urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to release Jin.
"He said he's gonna strongly consider the pastor," Trump stated after the talks.
Trump also raised the detention of Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced earlier in 2025 to 20 years in prison for colluding with foreign forces under Hong Kong's national security law.
Background on Zion Church and Crackdowns
Jin founded the Zion Church in 2007 with an initial group of 20 people. The church expanded to become one of China’s largest unregistered churches, with approximately 10,000 members across 40 cities.
The Chinese Communist Party officially banned the Zion Church in 2018 after the church resisted government demands to install security cameras at its Beijing property.
Since then, many branch congregations have been investigated and shut down.
Christians in China have long been pressured to attend only state-sanctioned churches led by government-approved pastors who align with party policies.
In October 2025, thirty church leaders were detained during overnight raids. A similar crackdown occurred in January 2026, resulting in the detention of nine individuals.
