Introduction of Bipartisan Law by U.S Representatives Granting Uyghurs P-2 Priority Refugee Status
GHRTV
12-06-2023
Marios Putro
South and East Asia Human Rights Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
On June 7, 2023, U.S Representatives, Jennifer Wexton of the Democrat Party in Northern Virginia, Maria Elvira Salazar of the Republican Party for Florida, Gregory Meeks of the Democrat Party for New York, Don Beyer of the Democrat Party for the 8th District of Virginia, and Gery Connolly of the Democratic Party for the 11th District of Virginia, introduced the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act, to designate ethnic Uyghurs and other minorities of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, who have been repressed by the Chinese Government, as priority refugees and expedite their ability to apply for asylum in the US (Wexton, 2023).
In particular, the bipartisan legislation would grant Priority 2 (P-2) designation to Uyghurs seeking to escape the repression currently being carried out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). P-2 designation is used for those refugees of special humanitarian concern to the U.S. who are in urgent need of resettlement and swift access to the U.S. asylum process. In addition, the law seeks to protect Uyghur refugees who have fled to countries outside of China besides the U.S., directing the U.S. Secretary of State to prioritize diplomatic efforts in those countries that often face intense pressure from the Chinese government to deport Uyghurs back to China (Wexton, 2023).
US Representative Wexton stated:
“The horrific atrocities that Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities are facing at the hands of the Chinese government are a global human rights emergency, and the United States cannot turn our back to those fleeing this persecution…I’ve heard firsthand from Uyghur constituents about their fears for their relatives trying to escape the horrors in Xinjiang. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to give those suffering this oppression hope for a path to expedited refugee status and asylum” (Wexton, 2023).
Sources and further readings:
Wexton Leads Introduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Grant Priority Refugee Status to Uyghurs Fleeing Persecution in China | U.S. House of Representatives. (2023, June 7). U.S. Representative Jennifer Wexton. https://wexton.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=834
