Ezra Jin, the founder of China's prominent underground Zion Church, arrived in the United States on Friday evening after being released from a Chinese prison, according to The Guardian.
Jin, a Chinese citizen who established the house church in 2007, was among dozens of members detained during a government crackdown on Christians in October.
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His release follows extensive diplomatic lobbying from the US government, marking a rare instance of Beijing releasing a Chinese citizen under foreign pressure.
The family of the prominent pastor expressed deep gratitude for his unexpected release and praised the active diplomatic intervention from Washington.
"We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling overwhelmed with joy," said Jin's family. "We thank God for this tremendous miracle.
We also thank President Trump and his administration for their tremendous leadership."
Jin's wife and children previously launched multiple direct appeals to the US government, and his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, testified before Congress in November regarding the detention.
The diplomatic breakthrough materialized after Donald Trump directly raised the issue of detained religious figures with Chinese President Xi Jinping during an official visit to Beijing in May.
"Seriously considering," said Donald Trump, noting that China's president was evaluating the release of jailed pastors, while adding that progress on other high-profile detained individuals remained more difficult.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Jin's sudden release from custody.
