Lawmakers Urge Boost in Uyghur Refugee Admissions

The State Department stopped providing aggregate data on refugees’ religions last year.

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Good morning. We have a not particularly lighthearted edition of Uphill for you today—balance out the vibes by enjoying this dog dressed as a bumblebee before reading ahead.

Congress Responds to Zero Uyghur Refugees Resettled 

Two weeks ago, we reported the disturbing fact that the United States admitted zero Uyghur refugees in the past year—despite the State Department’s determination that the Chinese government’s atrocities against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang amount to genocide.

Some Uyghurs already in the United States have waited years for their asylum cases to be processed. Others are living in countries like Turkey and Egypt, where they fear being unjustly extradited to China. 

The Dispatch learned about the number of Uyghurs admitted in fiscal year 2021 from a document detailing refugees’ countries of origin, followed by confirmation from a State Department spokesperson. But this method is not easily accessible to the public, and the countries of origin spreadsheet is not a clear indicator for the number of refugees resettled from other religious groups. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    “ Members involved in the debate responded to The Dispatch’s story by urging action to fix America’s refugee system and to grant Uyghurs priority status.”

    Good work!

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    Tmcke

    Ok, Trump's first secy of state started to reduce the size of the state department. And Steve Miller is a near nazi in terms of his hatred for muslims. And the Senate is slow walking Biden's nominees.

    Time for everyone here who still is a conservative to examine who the movement that once represented the best of our traditions has become a movement to take power in any way possible and to fuck it all - do nothing.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Burnham

    Thanks for this coverage, it is very enlightening! I'd love to also get more information on the kind of things behind this stand-alone sentence: "The chamber passed several bills related to Native Americans yesterday."

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    MarqueG68

    So, what's the actual potential for anything Congress does in support of Uighur refugee admissions getting anywhere? Would it be legislation that requires presidential signature?

    If so, it looks to me likely to meet with a presidential pocket veto. Because the administration seems hell-bent on appeasing China, most recently in the name of saving the planet from the climate change hobgoblin. I mean: Biden just signed the joint communique in Glasgow promising to participate in the Beijing Olympics, and furthermore, there's nothing bad happening to the Uighurs or Hong Kong pro-democracy activists.

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      Tmcke

      Curious what leverage you think we have re China? And where should we spend that leverage.

      Oh - do you think Climate Change is a hobgoblin?

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      1. Avatar photo
        MarqueG68

        I'm not sure where the leverage is--but there is *no* leverage in praising the rulers for their genocidal efforts! And I also don't think the CCP is going to abandon their coal-fired power generation anytime soon when their priority is growth, growth, growth.

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          Tmcke

          But are we praising China or just not picking a controversy right now. In fact policy must take place slowly. So going to the Olympics is what? As an old many now, I see so many issues that suggest we lay low a bit. For example we need rare earths for much - China has a lock on this. No time to alienate them. A more intelligent process would have the US and the rest of our peers work together to find alternatives for what China produces, at least re the more important items. Just taking a symbolic stand is like a photo op. Meaningless.

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            MarqueG68

            You and I probably aren't going to see eye-to-eye on this; I'm definitely much more of a hawk. I'd rather we'd boycott the Olympics to take a stand, for instance. Former dissidents from the USSR like Garry Kasparov, for instance, say that having US leaders speak in support of the oppressed residents of dictatorships *does* matter, does wind up getting heard, does encourage the discouraged.

            It would be nice if we could find alternatives for supply to CCP-affiliated entities: I can agree with that whole-heartedly.

            Anyhoo. Appreciate the civil exchange of differing views!

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  5. learnin4life

    Your reporting on the matter of refugees being unable to break through the frozen machinery of US immigration politics shines light onto inconvenient government programs. Even the best intentions of the American citizenry cannot overcome the political deadlock that is immigration policy/law. Until progress is made within our own political system it's unlikely America's embrace of the tired, hungry, and deserving will materialize beyond the collective guilt demonstrated when a few lucky Afghans made it to our soil.

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  6. Alex DeLarge

    I don't understand the premise that we need some minimum number of government-funded Uyghurs in the U.S.

    Applying for asylum is a legal process that Uyghurs can use just like anyone else. If they meet the standard criteria for establishing a "well founded fear of persecution" then they can get asylum status. People with refugee status are allowed to work in the U.S., so there is no need to subsidize and "resettle" them in specific locations.

    This demand for more refugees is probably due in part to the creepy church-state resettlement industry that makes money off of "resettling" refugees and micro-managing their lives. (IIRC, George W. created this program to sluice money to churches through contracts with "faith-based" entities). That whole program should be terminated. Once a refugee is admitted and eligible to work there is no good reason to treat them any differently than any other lawful immigrant.

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    Kelvin Tsang

    Wow, great work on this article...sad to see how opaque this is, and there doesn't seem to be any interest in the State Department to remedy.

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