Swidan was arrested and imprisoned in 2012 in China on allegations of drug trafficking and sentenced to death. Texans in Congress have advocated for Swidan’s release for years. Members of both parties have denounced the imprisonment as politically motivated.

Three Americans, including Mark Swidan of Houston, were released from Chinese detention after U.S. negotiations.

A Houston man will return home this week after being detained in China for over a decade. Mark Swidan from Houston was involved in a prisoner swap between the United States and China that also led to the release of Kai Li and John Leungas,

Texas lawmakers welcomed news that China is releasing Houston businessman Mark Swidan, who had been imprisoned since 2012, as part of a prisoner exchange.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, normally a Biden administration critic, praised the administration’s work to secure the release of the three Americans from China. Swidan’s mother, Katherine Swidan, lives in Texas and is a Cruz constituent.

Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released and are returning to the United States, the White House said Wednesday, announcing a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration.

A Houston man sentenced to death in a Chinese prison is set to be released after 12 years, the White House said Wednesday.

Mark Swidan had been wrongfully detained in China since 2012, and his family fought to one day bring him home. Now, the State Department said he would return as part of a prisoner swap agreement.

Three American men held for years in Chinese prisons have been released in a holiday prisoner swap just in time for Thanksgiving.

Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released from detention, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said.