IRVING, Texas—It took three arduous years capped by a week-long legal ordeal for a group of 63 persecuted Chinese Christians to win asylum in the United States, but they never lost faith.
On Friday, the group arrived on U.S. soil after a tense week spent in a holding cell in Thailand with their fate hanging in the balance. Thai authorities had tracked them down and arrested them for overstaying their visas, and they feared at any minute being sent back to China to imprisonment and torture.
After human rights advocates and key members of Congress sounded the alarm, the State Department jumped into action, negotiating for their freedom and release with the Thai authorities. By Friday, U.S. officials had secured their release and granted the group, including 35 children and 28 adults, emergency refugee status in the United States.
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