A group of U.S. senators has reintroduced the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, seeking passage in the new Congress to provide a haven for Hong Kong people fleeing persecution under Hong Kong’s national security laws.
In introducing the bill Tuesday (Feb. 9, 2021), 12 senior senators from both major political parties, led by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.Y.), said it was a response to the Chinese Communist regime’s push for national security laws in Hong Kong last year. Under the bill, Hong Kongers who have participated in peaceful demonstrations and have a well-founded fear of persecution by the authorities would be eligible to immigrate to the U.S. as refugees and would not be subject to a quota for similar asylum applications.
In a joint statement, Rubio said, “The United States must do all it can to help and open its doors to Hong Kong people who have bravely stood up to defend the city they love from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Menendez said the bill was introduced to reaffirm to the Chinese Communist Party that the United States stands firmly with the people of Hong Kong.
Rubio and Menendez introduced a bill with much the same content after Beijing pushed through Hong Kong’s national security law in late June last year, but the bill failed to pass before the previous Congress expired. Rubio told VOA that the Senate had a full agenda at the Time, with Congress needing to focus on issues such as Supreme Court justice nominees and a new coronavirus relief bill.
Blinken, secretary of state in the new Biden administration, has already said the U.S. should admit Hong Kong people fleeing a crackdown by Chinese authorities.
Beijing says it firmly opposes foreign intervention in Hong Kong affairs and has announced sanctions against U.S. officials, members of Congress and heads of related civic groups, including Senator Rubio.
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