Biden Defers Deportation of Hong Kong Residents in U.S.

Politics|Biden defers deportations of Hong Kong residents successful the U.S.

• Aug. 5, 2021, 1:14 p.m. ET

President Biden connected Thursday granted peculiar protections to Hong Kong residents successful the United States, offering them a impermanent deferral from deportation successful effect to an escalating crackdown by Chinese officials connected antiauthoritarian institutions and governmental dissent successful Hong Kong.

In a memo announcing the decision, Mr. Biden said determination were “compelling overseas argumentation reasons” for the order, which would springiness immoderate nonmigratory of Hong Kong targeted for deportation an 18-month reprieve to unrecorded temporarily successful the United States.

“Over the past year, the P.R.C. has continued its battle connected Hong Kong’s autonomy, undermining its remaining antiauthoritarian processes and institutions, imposing limits connected world freedom, and cracking down connected state of the press,” Mr. Biden said successful the memo, noting that at slightest 10,000 people, including pro-democracy officials and activists, person been arrested successful transportation with anti-government protests that began successful 2019.

Mr. Biden added that “offering harmless haven for Hong Kong residents who person been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms successful Hong Kong furthers United States interests successful the region.”