Chinese authorities have released Jin Mingri, an underground church leader, from prison, and he has travelled to the United States, less than two months after his incarceration was raised directly by President Donald Trump.

The founder of the Zion Church had been jailed following overnight raids across China in October, after what Christian groups said was one of the strictest crackdowns on religious activity in the country's modern history, the BBC reported.

Chinese authorities strictly control religious activity and the country officially promotes atheism.

Jin's family said in a statement, "We truly witnessed a miracle, and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy."

The Chinese foreign ministry has not officially commented on his case, according to the BCC.

During a May summit in China, Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to release political prisoners of interest to the U.S., including Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong's prominent Catholic and pro-democracy campaigner, and Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church.

Both cases presented grave religious freedom concerns from U.S. officials. Lai remains in prison, where he is serving a 20-year sentence, according to OSV News.

In 2018, Jin and his family moved to the U.S. following pressure on the church from Chinese officials. But Jin later returned and was prohibited from leaving the country.

He was among dozens of members imprisoned in a crackdown by Chinese authorities on his church in October 2025.

The Jin family thanked the US president and the Trump administration "for their tremendous leadership", and said they knew "this could not have happened without the direct intervention from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping".

"We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations."

U.S.-based rights group ChinaAid, which monitors relgious persecution, confirmed Jin, also known as Ezra Jin, had arrived in Los Angeles in the US following his release.

ChinaAid's founder Bob Fu welcomed his release, while noting that "countless" religious practitioners, including eight belonging to the Zion Church, remained incarcerated in China.

On July 6, the Archons of the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate noted with "grave concern" the recent statement of Monsignor Ettore Balestrero, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, regarding the staggering scope of the persecution of Christians around the world.

"Nearly 400 million Christians worldwide," according to Balestrero, "face persecution or violence, making them the most persecuted religious community in the world."

He noted that in 2025, "nearly 5,000 were killed because of their faith," which amounts to a shocking rate of 13 Christians dying for their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ every day.

The organization Open Doors, which monitors the persecution of Christians, echoes the words of Balestrero, stating that "the number of Christians exposed to persecution and at risk of suffering violence worldwide rose by 8 million people compared to last year—reaching a record 388 million."