Biden defers the deportations of Hong Kong residents in the United States.
August 10, 2021
On Thursday, President Biden granted temporary refuge to people from Hong Kong in the midst of the Chinese government’s effort to crush the pro-democracy movement and tighten its control on a city once known for its freedom. Biden signed a memorandum allowing people from Hong Kong currently residing in the U.S. to live and work in the country for 18 months. The decision to provide temporary refuge comes in response to Hong Kong’s sweeping new national security law and other measures that undercut the rights promised when it was handed back to China in 1997. According to the Department of Homeland Security, in the United States, there are several thousand people from Hong Kong who would be eligible to remain, thus avoiding being deported under what is formally known as deferred enforced departure.