The U.S. Deferred Enforced Departure for Hongkongers
Dear U.S. Ambassador Marc Nathanson,
We write to you to express our deep concern for Hongkongers who are presently residing in the U.S. under the Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) program. Barring its renewal, this arrangement is due to expire on 5 February, and many Hongkongers in the U.S. will be facing deportation to Hong Kong.
This policy was established in August 2021 to protect Hongkongers in the U.S. from being forced to return to Hong Kong, whose puppet government now has all strings being pulled from Beijing. The present situation is a flagrant violation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration that was filed at the U.N. in 1985, and which guaranteed the people of Hong Kong freedom and autonomy at least until 2047.
Since the DED program for Hongkongers was introduced nearly 18 months ago, the human rights situation in Hong Kong has continued on a path of a downward spiral. Hongkongers who are forced to return may face prosecution and sentencing for having taken part in protests against the brutal dictatorship.
Several weeks ago, an alert was published on the web pages of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that asked Hongkongers to wait for additional guidance from the Department of Homeland Security regarding the upcoming deadline of the DED program. To the best of our knowledge, no such advice has yet been provided.
5 February is now less than two weeks away. The lack of action, even advice, obviously creates a stressful situation for Hongkongers who are covered by the DED program. After more than half a year of constantly facing police brutality on the streets of Hong Kong in 2019, post-traumatic stress disorder has affected many who bravely opposed the dictatorship. It is likely that this condition is not uncommon among those who now live in uncertainty regarding their fate in the U.S.
On 19 January, two U.S. senators and a U.S. representative wrote a letter to your President, asking him to extend the DED program for Hongkongers for a minimum of 18 months.
We end this letter by asking you to forward our deep concern to relevant authorities in the U.S. government. The situation has now become a matter of the highest urgency, and we sincerely hope for a speedy announcement of an extension for the DED program for Hongkongers.
Best regards,
Jessica Chiu, Leader, Hong Kong Committee in Norway
Arne Melsom, Deputy leader, Hong Kong Committee in Norway