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Biden administration offers temporary "safe haven" for Hong Kongers in U.S.

05 August 2021
Dan Ackermann

President Joe Biden on Thursday directed the Department of Homeland Security to defer the removal of Hong Kong residents currently in the U.S. for 18 months, offering them a "safe haven" to those who fear returning home.

Why it matters: The move, which could potentially extend the stay of thousands of Hong Kongers in the U.S., is the latest step the Biden administration has taken in response to Beijing's crackdown on democracy in the semi-autonomous territory.

  • The program will be accessible to the vast majority of these residents and will allow them to seek employment authorization through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to DHS.
  • Thousands of people have already left Hong Kong to travel to the United Kingdom — which once controlled the territory — after the British government offered a similar "safe haven" and path to citizenship for millions of Hong Kongers.

The big picture: The Chinese government imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong last year after the eruption of pro-democracy protests, eroding the autonomy and political freedoms that its residents once enjoyed. The first protester convicted under the law was sentenced to nine years in prison last week.

  • The U.S. has retaliated by suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and imposing sanctions on officials responsible for the crackdown.
  • Last month, the U.S. issued an advisory warning businesses about the risks of doing business in Hong Kong. China sanctioned a number of Americans and organizations in response.

What they're saying: "Over the last year, the PRC has continued its assault on Hong Kong's autonomy, undermining its remaining democratic processes and institutions, imposing limits on academic freedom, and cracking down on freedom of the press," Biden said in a statement.

  • "Offering safe haven for Hong Kong residents who have been deprived of their guaranteed freedoms in Hong Kong furthers United States interests in the region. The United States will not waver in our support of people in Hong Kong," he added.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.