A bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for President Trump to put pressure on China to release detained pastor Ezra Jin Mingri.
Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Tim Kaine (D-VA), alongside Representatives Riley Moore (R-WV) and Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), led 29 lawmakers in a letter pushing for the release of Jin, the lead pastor of Zion Church.
“As you prepare to meet with President Xi Jinping next month, we urge you to seek resolution of the case of Ezra Jin Mingri, a pastor and family member of American citizens, who was arbitrarily detained on October 10, 2025, alongside other leaders of the Zion Church by the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” the letter says. “We encourage you to advocate for their release and request the PRC to allow Mr. Jin to leave China, in addition to raising concerns regarding the ongoing unjust imprisonment and persecution of Christians, Tibetans, and Uyghurs, among other religious and ethnic minority groups across China.”
Violations of religious freedom in China documented by U.S. entities include “arbitrary detentions, lengthy prison sentences, forced closures of places of worship, destruction of religious property, and surveillance and intimidation of clergy and congregants,” the letter notes.
The lawmakers urge President Trump to seek a resolution to Jin’s detention’s as well as those detained from other churches, and implement sanctions and visa restrictions on those responsible for violations of religious freedom.
In October, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced a resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party for the detainment of Jin and other members of Zion Church.
On October 10, Jin and others were abducted in what is considered the “largest coordinated, nationwide crackdown against a Christian urban house church in more than 40 years,” the resolution states.
The file goes on to declare that the Senate condemns the pastor’s detainment, demanding that he and other churchgoers be released, and “reaffirms the commitment of the United States to promote religious freedom and tolerance around the world and to help provide protection and relief to religious minorities facing persecution and violence.”
