WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)– Three Americans are out of a Chinese prison and headed home.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration said they secured the release of three American citizens wrongfully detained in China for years.
The White House said all three men, including one man facing the death penalty will soon be reunited with their families.
Lawmakers who’ve pushed for their release said the Americans spent years in prisons under bad conditions.
Mark Swidan spent more than a decade in prison on drug charges. Kai Li and John Leung were both imprisoned on espionage charges.
Pedro Pizano works for the McCain Institute, an organization devoted to freeing U.S. prisoners abroad, and also worked with Kai Li’s son.
“This is hugely significant,” Pizano said. “This is the most happiest day of their recent lives and we are just incredibly grateful that the American government went to this length, as it should.”
The Biden administration said President Biden pressed for the release of the American citizens while meeting with Chinese President Xi at a global summit in Peru earlier this month.
“We haven’t always agreed but our conversations have always been candid and always been frank,” Biden said.
In exchange, the U.S. is releasing an undisclosed number of Chinese nationals from U.S. custody.
The State Department also lowered its travel warning to China from a level three to a level two, advising American travelers to use caution while in China rather than reconsider travel plans.