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

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.

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.

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.

AUSTIN U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement on the announcement that Mark Swidan, a Houston resident, was released from Chinese prison: "After 12 long years of unjust imprisonment,

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

A Houston man who had been scheduled for execution in China is one of three U.S. citizens released by the Chinese Government, the White House announced on Wednesday. According to reports from Politico and The New York Times,