Republicans in the U.S. Congress have reintroduced a new bill to provide priority refugee protection for Hong Kong residents and plan to establish an additional number of visas each year for eligible Hong Kongers to come to the U.S. The bill, introduced by the Republicans, states that “Hong Kong is no longer safe”. The bill’s sponsors claim that “Hong Kong is no longer safe”. So far, U.S. lawmakers have introduced four bills aimed at providing asylum to Hong Kongers oppressed by Beijing.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a Republican federal senator from Arkansas, introduced the Hong Kong Refugee Protection Act on Monday (Sept. 21), which would designate Hong Kong as a refugee territory.
According to the bill, Hong Kong will be designated as a priority refugee zone and will provide up to 25,000 additional visas per year for Hong Kong residents over and above the normal refugee admissions cap for the next five years. The U.S. currently has a refugee admissions cap of 18,000.
The bill would also establish an additional 30,000 visas per year for five years, to be issued through a points-based system, to attract eligible Hong Kong residents to the United States. The additional visas for both programs would be deducted from the number of “diversity visa” draws.
“As Beijing continues to assert its authoritarian rule over Hong Kong, Hong Kong residents are no longer safe,” Senator Cotton said in a statement. “The U.S. refugee admissions program assists in situations where foreign governments persecute innocent people because of their religion, political beliefs, or ethnicity. “
Cotton added that his bill would give priority to Hong Kong residents “to help them gain freedom from oppressive Communist China.”
Earlier this year, Senator Cotton also called on the U.S. administration to work with countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia to provide assistance to Hong Kongers seeking asylum from Beijing’s oppression.
Bipartisan Support in Congress for Asylum for Hong Kong People Four Related Bills Pending Consideration
In addition to Cotton’s recently introduced Hong Kong Refugee Protection Act, there are currently three other immigration-related bills in the U.S. Congress aimed at providing assistance to Hong Kong residents.
The Hong Kong Victims of Communism Support Act, introduced in late May by Republican Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), was the first bill introduced in Congress to provide political asylum to Hong Kong residents.
Under the bill, individuals who have had the right of abode in Hong Kong since birth and have resided in Hong Kong continuously since birth would be eligible for asylum. The bill also stipulates that authorities may not deny visas to eligible applicants because they have been arrested for political reasons.
“Hong Kongers who have bravely faced the threat of communist oppression will find safety here until their home is free again,” Senator Sasse had said in a statement.
The second part of the bill is sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-UT). The Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, which was introduced in late June by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, including Senator John Kerry (R-TX), was the most sponsored bill in Congress out of the four existing bills to provide political asylum to Hong Kong residents. This bill is the bill with the most signatures of any of the four existing bills in Congress that provide political asylum to Hong Kong residents.
The bill allows Hong Kong residents who are persecuted, or have a reasonable fear of persecution, for political speech or peaceful political activity to apply for asylum in the U.S. as a “second preference” to escape persecution under Hong Kong’s version of the National Security Law. The bill also provides that Hong Kong residents who meet the above conditions may apply for asylum in Hong Kong or in a third country, and that asylum applications may not be denied on the grounds that the applicant meets other immigration requirements, and that there is no quota for similar asylum applications.
The third part is the “Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act,” which was sponsored by Democrats in both chambers, including Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). (Freedom and Choice Act).
This bill would expedite residency approvals for Hong Kongers who flee to the United States due to political persecution; expedite the immigration entry process for highly skilled Hong Kong residents, including those with graduate degrees and business owners with more than 50 employees. Preference would be given to applicants in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and a distinction would be made between Hong Kong and mainland China in U.S. immigration law and immigration limits to ensure that Hong Kongers would not be counted against the cap imposed on mainland Chinese immigrants.
It is not yet known whether the bill is expected to move forward.
On July 14 of this year, President Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which passed quickly and without dissent in both houses of Congress, once again demonstrating strong bipartisan support for the fight for democracy in Hong Kong.
But what is the legislative future of these four immigration policy bills that would provide political asylum to Hong Kongers? Is it expected to be adopted before the end of the current session? We don’t know yet.
Rubio, the Republican federal senator who introduced the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, told VOA with a straight face that the Senate’s agenda is currently full, and that issues such as the selection of Supreme Court justices and the new coronary relief bill are now the focus of discussion in Congress. As a result, he is unable to keep track of the progress of the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act at this time.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the chief Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee who introduced the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act with Rubio, told VOA that he hopes the bill will at least be considered by the Foreign Affairs Committee for a vote as soon as possible.
“I think it’s important to create a safe harbor for the people of Hong Kong,” Menendez said, “and it’s unfortunate that the (Foreign Affairs Committee) chairman hasn’t had a deliberative meeting. I don’t like that the bill skips the committee process, but if we can make sure that this bill gets to the ‘hot line’ process in the chamber, I think that’s important enough.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), a Republican federal senator from Texas who co-sponsored the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, said in an interview with VOA that the bill should not move forward before the general election.
However, as to whether it can be passed before the end of the current session at the end of this year, Cornyn said, “I think it’s possible, and I would be optimistic.”
Recent Comments