Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Uyghur Policy Act (H.R. 4785) by an overwhelming vote of 407 – 17.
You did it! It is thanks in good part to your continual lobbying of your Members of Congress, that the House passed overwhelmingly the Uyghur Policy Act. Next, before this “lame duck” session ends, let’s tell our Members of Congress to go further and support another crucial bill: the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act of 2021 (H.R.1630/S.1080)
Congress is taking action in the wake of tragedy and protests in China. A Uyghur neighborhood in Urumchi was just rocked by an apartment fire that killed eleven people and injured many more. The victims were mostly Uyghurs and many Chinese people believe President Xi’s hardcore Covid restrictions prevented firefighters from reaching the fire scene earlier. As a result, protests and vigils have sprung up across China in Urumchi, Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing.
The Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630 and S.1080) would designate Uyghurs as Priority 2 (P-2) Refugees. This bipartisan bill was introduced in the House by Representatives by Ted Deutch (D), Mario Diaz-Balart (R), Jennifer Wexton (D), and Chris Smith (R), and in the Senate by Senators Chris Coons (D), Marco Rubio (R), Jeff Merkley (D), and Thom Tillis (R).
This bill designates Uyghurs as prioritized refugees of special humanitarian concern, making them eligible for Priority Two (P-2) processing under the refugee resettlement priority system. The P-2 designation enables refugees to access the U.S. refugee program without a referral from the UN High Commission for Refugees, an embassy, or an NGO. Examples include Iraqis associated with the United States and certain religious refugees from the former Soviet Union.
Please follow up your message with phone calls and emails to the staff of your U.S. representative.
We have a new resources to make this easier for you. We’ve created an online listing of key staff of every Member Congress. Check it out here:
U.S. Senate: https://bit.ly/SenateUyghur
U.S. House of Representatives: https://bit.ly/HouseUyghur
Just follow the steps below to call and email your Members of Congress! Sometimes just one call or direct email from you can make the difference.
Action #1: make a phone call
- Click here to enter your zip code and find your House Member
- Click below to check if your Members of Congress are already co-sponsors of the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080). (If he or she is a co-sponsor, simply call to thank them. We don’t do that enough!)
- House – Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630) – co-sponsors
- Senate – Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (S.1080) – co-sponsors
- Click to find the phone number and email of the staff of your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives: https://bit.ly/HouseUyghur
- Click to find the phone number and email of the staff of your U.S. senators: https://bit.ly/SenateUyghur
- When you reach their office, ask to be connected directly to the staffer, either in person on their voicemail.
- Simply tell the staffer – in person or on their voicemail – you want your representative to co-sponsor the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080).
- Leave your name, number, and city of residence to indicate that you live in the state.
- Email us at info@nobusinesswithgenocide.org and tell us how your calls went.
Follow up #2: email the staffers of your Members of Congress
- Click here to enter your zip code and find your House Member
- Click below to check if your Members of Congress are already co-sponsors of the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080). (If he or she is a co-sponsor, simply send an email to thank them. We don’t do that enough!)
- House – Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630) – co-sponsors
- Senate – Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (S.1080) – co-sponsors
- Click to find the email of the staff of your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives: https://bit.ly/HouseUyghur
- Click to find the email of the staff of your U.S. senators: https://bit.ly/SenateUyghur
In your email, we suggest you use a succinct and direct subject line such as: “Co-sponsor Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080)”
Start your message with a mention of where you live in the state. Feel free to include a personal note on why you care about the Uyghurs in particular. Please use or adapt the following text in your email. Please blind copy (bcc) us on your email at info@nobusinesswithgenocide.org.
I ask that you co-sponsor the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080)
The bill would require the U.S. Administration to take further steps to address human rights abuses against the Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.
Please write back and tell me when you will co-sponsor the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080).
Just one email or phone call from a constituent can make a difference. So email and call your U.S. representative every few days until they co-sponsor the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (H.R.1630/S.1080).