“I could not be happier for Mark’s mother Katherine Swidan, who has spent 12 years waging an unremitting battle to ensure Mark’s release and make today a reality.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the release of unjustly detained Americans from China:
“I am overjoyed that Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released and are returning to their families. I could not be happier for Mark’s mother Katherine Swidan, who from her home in Luling, Texas, has spent 12 years waging an unremitting battle to ensure Mark’s release and make today a reality.
“President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Carstens, Ambassador Burns, and their teams have for years worked tirelessly to secure this achievement, and I am deeply grateful for all their efforts. Negotiations aimed at securing the release of unjustly held Americans are among the most difficult and wrenching tasks that our diplomats face, and they have shown unceasing dedication culminating in today’s release. This joyous news would not have occurred, and these families would not have been reunited, without their work and commitment.”
