Biden Provides Temporary ‘Safe Haven’ to Hong Kong Residents in the United States

WASHINGTON, Aug.5 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden on Thursday offered temporary “refuge” to Hong Kong residents in the United States, potentially allowing thousands to extend their stay in the country in response to the crackdown on Beijing against democracy in China. territory.

In a signed memo, Biden ordered the Department of Homeland Security to implement a “deportation delay” for up to 18 months for Hong Kong residents currently in the United States, citing “compelling policy reasons. foreign ”.

“Over the past year, the PRC has continued its assault on Hong Kong autonomy, undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions, placing limits on academic freedom and cracking down on press freedom,” Biden said. in the note, using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.

“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 waver in its support for the people of Hong Kong,” said Biden.

The vast majority of Hong Kong residents currently in the United States should be eligible for the program, according to a senior administration official, but certain legal conditions apply, such as those who have not been convicted of crimes.

The White House said in a statement that the move made it clear that the United States “will not stand idly by as the PRC breaks its promises to Hong Kong and the international community.”

Eligible people can also apply for a work permit in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

The move is the latest in a series of moves Biden has taken to tackle what his administration says was the erosion of the rule of law in the former British colony, which returned to Beijing’s control in 1997.

In July, the US government imposed more sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong and issued an updated business advisory warning companies of the risks of operating under the National Security Law, which China has enacted. works last year to criminalize what it sees as subversion, secessionism, terrorism or collusion. with foreign forces. Read more

Critics say the law facilitates a crackdown on pro-democracy activists and a free press in the territory, which Beijing had agreed to let operate under considerable political autonomy for 50 years after regaining control.

China retaliated against US actions last month with its own sanctions against American individuals, including former US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. Read more

U.S. lawmakers have called for legislation that would make it easier for Hong Kong people fearing persecution after joining protests against China for U.S. refugee status, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States should accept people fleeing repression in Hong Kong. Read more

Reporting by Michael Martina; edited by Gerry Doyle and Jonathan Oatis

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