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.

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — 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.

Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released, the White House said Wednesday. The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. "Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," the White House said in a statement.

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

The White House is reporting that three Americans who were being held in China are coming home after a deal with President Joe Biden's administration. Both MSNBC and the Washington Post said that there are unconfirmed reports that the release is part of a prisoner swap.