Families of Americans imprisoned in China appeal to Trump for help

After living without their loved ones for more than a decade, two families of Americans detained in China are appealing to President Donald Trump to bring them home as he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

After living without their loved ones for more than a decade, two families of Americans detained in China are appealing to President Donald Trump to bring them home as he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

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U.S. citizens Dawn Michelle Hunt, a 54-year-old from Illinois, and Nelson Wells Jr., a 52-year-old from Louisiana, are both in Chinese prisons on separate allegations of drug trafficking after their families say they were caught up in smuggling scams at the airport.

The Hunt and Wells families see the state visit this week, the first by a U.S. president since Trump last went to China during his first term nine years ago, as a rare opportunity for Trump to speak directly to Xi about releasing the two Americans, whose families say are both in declining health.