The State Department announced the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. A U.S. government official told NBC News the three were exchanged for two Chinese detainees.

China announced Thursday that the U.S. had returned four people to China, including three citizens it said had been held for “political purposes.”

The family of an ArkLaTex man who has been imprisoned in China for a number of years is calling for a renewed push to have their son freed following the release of three Americans who were detained in the country.

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

Three Americans including two Chinese Americans are back on U.S. soil after being released by China in a prisoner swap. ABC News reports the three returned to warm embraces from family members overnight at Joint Base San Antonio.

Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung are en route back to the United States from imprisonment in China, the White House said.

Three Americans who the State Department said were wrongfully detained in China for years are on their way back to the U.S. as part of a prisoner swap, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the deal told ABC News.

A U.S. official said President Joe Biden pressed for the return of the three when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping at a regional summit in Peru.