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US offers temporary ‘safe haven’ for Hongkongers in response to crackdown on opposition
- Hong Kong residents already in the US will be granted the right to stay and work for 18 months, and restrictions on student visa holders may also be suspended
- White House press secretary Jen Psaki says the decision shows Joe Biden’s support for the city’s people ‘in the face of ongoing repression’
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US President Joe Biden signed an order on Thursday offering temporary “safe haven” to thousands of Hong Kong residents, allowing them to remain in the United States. The move is in response to Beijing’s crackdown on opposition lawmakers and activists in the city after a national security law was imposed last year.
“This action demonstrates President Biden’s strong support for people in Hong Kong in the face of ongoing repression by the People’s Republic of China, and makes clear we 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 on Thursday.
“We, alongside our allies and partners, strongly oppose the PRC’s wielding of the national security law to deny basic rights and freedoms, assault Hong Kong’s autonomy and undermine its remaining democratic processes and institutions.
“Given the politically motivated arrests and trials, the silencing of the media and the diminishing space for elections and democratic opposition, we will continue to take steps in support of people in Hong Kong.”
Biden’s order authorises the Department of Homeland Security to give Hong Kong residents 18-month “safe haven status”, allowing them to work in the US, and to “consider suspending” restrictions on Hongkongers holding F-1 student visas.
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US offers temporary ‘safe haven’ for Hongkongers in response to crackdown on opposition
US offers temporary ‘safe haven’ for Hongkongers in response to crackdown on opposition
Dozens of opposition figures have been arrested and charged in the wake of the 2019 anti-government protests.
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