Chantal Anicoche, a 24-year-old who graduated from college in Maryland and was in military custody in the Philippines, has returned to the U.S., according to U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

“I’ve spoken with Chantal and am pleased that she is back home and safe with her family,” Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, said in a statement Saturday evening. “I’m grateful to all those in our communities for their efforts in supporting her return.”

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, graduate arrived in the Philippines in December. Migrante USA, an advocacy group for Filipino workers and migrants, said it facilitated her trip, on which she intended to connect and learn from indigenous communities.

She disappeared on New Year’s Day after the Armed Forces of the Philippines coordinated an operation in Occidental Mindoro in what the government said was an attack against the longest-running rebellion in Asia. Mindoro is one of the largest islands in the Philippines, about 80 miles from Manila.

No one heard from Anicoche for more than a week. Even after the military announced it had found her and taken her for treatment, friends and family said they could not reach Anicoche directly.

Advocates sounded the alarm on social media, and several organizations, including Malaya Movement and Bayan USA, called for her release.

“Chantal and her family reiterated to me their request for privacy,” Van Hollen said. “But I know we are all relieved that she is safe.”