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President Biden on Thursday signed a memo protecting Hong Kong residents living in the United States from deportation for at least 18 months, citing the “significant erosion” of freedoms in the territory by the Chinese Communist regime.
“The United States supports the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Hong Kong residents,” Biden said in a memorandum. “Recognizing the significant erosion of these rights and freedoms in Hong Kong by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), I order the postponement of the removal of certain Hong Kong residents who are present in the United States.
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Deferred forced departure (DED) allows a president to defer the expulsion of certain nationalities, although this is not in itself a specific immigration status. Previous examples of the use of DED include former President Donald Trump postponing the removal of Venezuelans to January and then-President George W. Bush postponing the removal of Liberians to 2007, which is still in effect.
Hong Kong, a former British territory ceded to the Chinese in the 1990s and initially governed on the principle of “one country, two systems”, has been the subject of a dramatic crackdown on freedoms since the adoption of a national security law by the Chinese government last year.
Biden’s memo said the imposition of this law has “undermined the enjoyment of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including those protected by the Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
The statement noted the imprisonment of hundreds of politicians and anti-regime activists, as well as the arrest of thousands more involved in anti-government protests – in addition to suppressing democratic processes and academic freedom and the press.
July. January 1, 2020: Protesters against the National Security Law’s new five-finger gesture, signifying the “Five demands – not one less” on the anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong to China by Great Britain in Hong Kong. (AP Photo / Vincent Yu)
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“Providing safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong promotes US interests in the region. The US will not give up its support for the people of Hong Kong,” a- he declared.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that those protected under the note would also be eligible for a work permit.
“This decision to offer safety and protection to these people was taken on the basis of the continued attack on democracy and rights and freedoms in Hong Kong by the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” Mayorkas said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “in the face of attempts by the authorities in the PRC and Hong Kong to stifle democratic aspirations, we will take action.”
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“We will continue to defend the human rights and freedoms guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong by the Sino-British joint declaration and the basic law,” he said in a statement. “Today we are sending a clear message that the United States stands in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong.”
The move is the final protection against the withdrawal of the Biden administration. In May, the administration granted Haitian immigrants Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months amid issues of security, poverty and human rights violations in the country.
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