President Joe Biden on Aug. 5 said he’s offering a “safe haven” to Hongkongers in the United States that would allow thousands to extend their stay, amid Beijing’s “significant erosion” of their freedoms back home.
In a signed memo, Biden asked the Department of Homeland Security to defer the removal of Hong Kong residents currently in the United States by 18 months, citing “compelling foreign policy reasons” that include defending democracy and promoting human rights around the world.
He noted the deteriorating freedoms in Hong Kong since the Chinese regime imposed the wide-ranging national security law, under which police have arrested more than 100 opposition leaders and activists, with vague charges punishable for lifelong imprisonment. More than 10,000 others have been detained for activism related to the pro-democracy protests that began in summer 2019.
“Offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong furthers United States interests in the region,” Biden said in the statement.
The new rule applies to any Hongkonger in the United States except for those who voluntarily choose to return to Hong Kong, who haven’t continuously resided in the country, who are subject to extradition or deportation, criminal offenders and ex-felons, people deemed to present a danger to public safety or “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” the memo stated.
The action makes clear that the United States “will not stand idly by as the PRC breaks its promises to Hong Kong and to the international community,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
“Given the politically motivated arrests and trials, the silencing of the media, and the diminishing of space for elections and democratic opposition, we will continue to take steps in support of people in Hong Kong.”
