Support the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act

There is a genocide happening in the Uyghur region. Every day, Uyghur people are unlawfully detained in concentration camps, where they are tortured, forced into labor, and subjected to systematic cultural erasure. Survivors have reported forced sterilization, political indoctrination, and brutal conditions designed to break their spirit and erase their identity.

Even when Uyghurs manage to escape this inhumane treatment, they face the grim reality of spending years anxiously waiting for refugee status and asylum approval. Worse yet, the Chinese government relentlessly pressures countries that have given Uyghurs refuge to deport them back to genocide.

Just last month, more than 40 Uyghurs were deported from Thailand to China, where they now face imprisonment, torture, and possible execution. This tragic incident highlights the urgent need for the United States to act decisively and provide safety.

For the Uyghurs who make it to the United States, the asylum process can take more than 9 years before they are able to safely rebuild their lives.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) concluded in its August 2022 report that the Chinese regime’s actions in the Uyghur region may constitute crimes against humanity. Both the former and current U.S. administrations have recognized that China has committed genocide. It is time to stand with Uyghur refugees.

The Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act is an essential and urgently needed piece of legislation that would provide Uyghurs and other Turkic groups fleeing genocide with Priority 2 (P-2) refugee status. This designation grants direct access to refugee resettlement and an expedited asylum process. Additionally, the legislation mandates the Department of State to prioritize diplomatic engagement with third countries hosting Uyghur refugees, ensuring no one is sent back to genocide.

Please contact your representative and urge them to pass this bill to protect the lives and dignity of the Uyghur people.