() — A Michigan couple that had been held at a Mexican prison for a month over a timeshare dispute with a resort company was released Thursday.

Paul and Christy Akeo were released from a maximum-security facility a day after Michigan congressman Tom Barrett, a Republican, visited them and brought attention to their situation.

The Akeos had been detained in Cancún on March 4 after being accused of fraud by a high-end resort company. Advocates for the couple argued that the credit card dispute that led to their arrest did not justify the harsh conditions they faced in jail.

“They are in the plane right now,” on a chartered flight to Michigan, U.S. hostage negotiator am Boehler told Reuters on Thursday evening.

They were accompanied by Barrett.

Footage from the congressman’s office showed the Akeos, wearing prison attire, leaving the facility and boarding a private jet bound for Lansing, Mich. Family members were expected to welcome them at midnight or around 1 a.m. local time, according to Mallory Wilson, a friend of the Akeo family.

“It’s been a day,” Wilson told “Banfield” on Thursday evening. “I’m elated to share that they’re finally coming home, and I think I had a little stroke when I saw Christy’s name come up on my phone.”

Dick Atkins, an attorney who specializes in foreign legal matters, said the problems the Akeos experienced are rare. More than 36 million U.S. residents go to Mexico each year, and only a small number, fewer than 500, are arrested, he said.

“I have a feeling that hotels, after this, will be more careful because there’s no doubt they’re going to lose business because of this,” Atkins said.