Twelve U.S. House representatives have introduced a bipartisan bill that would expedite the ability of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities facing persecution in China to seek asylum in the United States. The Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act would lend further American support to the 12 million Uyghurs in the northwestern Xinjiang region who are suffering under what Washington has labeled a “genocide."
“The brutal persecution of Uyghurs by the Chinese government is a human rights crisis,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill who represents the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, home to one of the largest Uyghur diaspora populations in the United States. The bill was introduced on Tuesday.“I have personally heard from Uyghur constituents in my district about their deep concerns for their relatives attempting to flee atrocities,” he said. “I’m proud to lead this bipartisan initiative to provide those enduring unthinkable oppression with a pathway to expedited refugee status and asylum.”
