Krishnamoorthi Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Secure Release of Chicagoan Dawn Hunt and Other Americans Unjustly Detained in China

September 22, 2025
Press Release

WASHINGTON – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, introduced bipartisan legislation on Friday with Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, to strengthen U.S. diplomatic advocacy on behalf of Americans unjustly detained in the People’s Republic of China. The bill, titled the Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt Unjustly Detained Americans in Communist China Act, highlights the case of Dawn Hunt, a lifelong South Sider from Chicago, who has been imprisoned in China since 2014 after being lured and tricked into carrying handbags that, without her knowing, were secretly lined with drugs. Despite compelling evidence that she was duped, Hunt was sentenced to death—later commuted to life—and remains behind bars in Guangdong Women’s Prison, suffering serious medical conditions. Her case has drawn extensive attention and sympathy in the Chicago press and from her family, including her brother Tim and father, both of whom are retired Chicago police officers. Tim recently testified before Congress.


“Dawn Hunt is a daughter of Chicago, a member of a family that has served our city in uniform, and a victim of a gross miscarriage of justice,” said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. “She should not be languishing in a Chinese prison with untreated medical conditions, and she certainly shouldn’t be used as leverage by the CCP. This legislation is about Dawn, and other Americans who are unjustly detained or blocked from returning home by the People’s Republic of China. We must show her family, and all families like hers, that America will never abandon its own.”


The legislation directs the U.S. Department of State to:

  • Develop a diplomatic action plan for Americans unjustly detained in China and their families.

  • Provide resources and travel assistance to families of detainees.

  • Issue a formal “declaration of invalidity” to released detainees affirming that their detention in China was unjust and cannot be held against them.

  • Pursue sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against Chinese officials responsible for wrongful detentions and coercive “exit bans.”

 

Bill Summary

 

Title: Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt Unjustly Detained Americans in Communist China Act

 

Purpose:

To strengthen U.S. diplomatic advocacy for Americans unjustly detained in China and their families, and to hold Chinese officials accountable for such abuses.

 

Key Provisions:

  • Creating a “Cases of Concern” list for U.S. nationals and lawful permanent residents unjustly detained in China, including those whose family members are being held as leverage;

  • Requiring the Secretary of State to develop a diplomatic action plan within 60 days, including:

    • Appointing a senior coordinator to prioritize the cases of concern list;

    • Exploring international prisoner transfer programs and allied cooperation; and

    • Reviewing sanction authorities and legal tools;

  • Mandating a classified report to Congress on:

    • Numbers and details of detained American citizens;

    • Exit ban cases;

    • Diplomatic action and accountability efforts; and

    • Recommendations for stronger legislative or funding tools;

  • Providing support for families, including case assistance, and travel resources;

  • Issuing official “declarations of invalidity” for cleared individuals to remedy the long-term impacts of wrongful imprisonment; and

  • Declaring Chinese officials involved in these detentions as responsible for gross human rights violations, making them eligible for sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act.

Background on highlighted cases:

  • Dawn Michelle Hunt, from Chicago, was arrested in China in 2014 and sentenced to life imprisonment after being lured into a fraudulent sweepstakes scheme. Evidence of her innocence was ignored, and she has endured abuse and medical neglect in detention.

  • Nelson Wells Jr., a New Orleans native, was arrested in China in 2014 and sentenced to 22 years in prison after being duped into carrying bags allegedly containing narcotics. His family maintains that he was unaware of the drugs. He suffers from chronic pain and untreated medical conditions while imprisoned.

  • Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and U.S. lawful permanent resident, disappeared in 2018 and was later sentenced to 20 years in prison in a sham trial in Xinjiang. Her detention is widely believed to be retaliation against her sister, Rushan Abbas, a U.S. citizen and prominent Uyghur-American human rights advocate, who has spoken publicly against the CCP’s genocide in Xinjiang.