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Trump Secures Release of Zion Church Founder from China

7/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, was released from Chinese detention and arrived in Los Angeles, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China confirmed.
President Donald Trump raised Jin’s case in his May meeting with President Xi Jinping, after which China described the release as a goodwill gesture tied to Independence Day.
Grace Jin Drexel thanked Trump, calling the release a miracle and noting Zion Church was banned in 2018.

History

Historical Context

In April 1999 Jiang Zemin ordered the Communist Party to eradicate Falun Gong, and by July the Ministry of Public Security began mass arrests—Hong Kong reports said 50,000 detainees in the first week. International bodies such as the United Nations and the U.S. State Department condemned the campaign, prompting occasional diplomatic releases but leaving China’s broader ban on unregistered religious groups unchanged.

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Story summary

Ezra Jin, founder of Zion Church, was released from Chinese detention and arrived in Los Angeles, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China confirmed.
President Donald Trump raised Jin’s case in his May meeting with President Xi Jinping, after which China described the release as a goodwill gesture tied to Independence Day.
Grace Jin Drexel thanked Trump, calling the release a miracle and noting Zion Church was banned in 2018.

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