Thread by @frances_hui

This is the first time I travel abroad using this refugee travel doc since I was granted asylum in the US. I've always said that I am just lucky in this process while thousands of #Hongkongers & #Uyghurs struggle to see progress on their asylum applications . 🧵US lifeboat policy

US asylees & refugees typically can’t leave the country. A refugee travel document acts in place of a passport for those who can no longer use their original passport to ensure (but not guarantee) that they can re-enter the country under circumstances. 2/

To get a travel doc, first you have to be granted asylum. But that itself is alrdy a long process to go thru. Applicants can be left waiting for as long as 10 years for the interview, during which they hv to be in the US and can only apply to work after 180 days after filing. 3/

Recent report by @UyghurProject shows that 500-1000 Uyghurs are currently caught up in the US asylum system, w/ some having been waiting for 8 years for resolutions. They experience great stress on physical & mental health, & financial strains. 4/

My asylum-seeking process was swift & unusual—it took only half yr from the day of filling to being approved. I rmb checking my mailbox every day, hoping to see a letter from a USCIS address & feeling disappointed when it's not. Those days were filled w/ frustration & anxiety. 5/

I must emphasize that my case was almost an exception. It troubles me to know that many others hv to wait for yrs without an assurance to their status & to go thru the uncertainty for 10x longer than I did, constantly thinking of other plans if it is denied. 6/

Indeed sometimes the envelops carry bad news. One of my frds came from HK was arrested in a protest in 2019 & tried in court. We thought someone like him who have established a full argument of facing political persecution by the HKgov would hv no problem proving himself. 7/

But he didn't pass the interview and
was referred to the immigration court where he will testify before the judge. It's been a year now & the date continue to be delayed. There he is, discouraged & depressed, telling me that he sometimes just wants to give up & return to HK. 8/

Another scenerio─which is the preferred one─is being granted an indefinite asylum status, making it easier for asylees as a legal resident who can work without optaining authorization & apply for a refugee travel doc for necessary international travels. 9/

The USCIS issues refugee travel documents to ppl with refugee or asylum status who wish to travel abroad in order to return to return to the U.S., However re-entry is not guaranteed, so traveling on a travel doc still entails some level of risks. (I am safe back home now.) 10/

While most people would agree that American refugee system is flawed and needing a reform, there are steps the US Congress & the adminstration can take at its disposal to advocate for people that are in desperate need for humanitarian pathways. 11/

One of them are the designation of Uyghurs & Hongkongers for Priority-2 refugee status, allowing those persecuted by the CCP to come to the US as refugees thru an expedited process. P-2 applicants can apply outside the US. 12/

Recipients can then bypass a referral from accredited entities, like the UN @Refugees, which expedites the process for resettlement. Otherwise, they are subject to the same vetting process for eligibility. Once vetted, the recipients can resettle in the US permanently. 13/

There were legislative effort in the last Congress, such as #Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act & HK Safe Harbor Act. As situation on the ground will only worsen for persons fleeing persecution, only a permanent solution shld be considered to help victims under authoritarian. 14/

In the past few yrs, many democratic allies in the world, like the UK & Canada, have provided programs to support Hong Kong people. Right now the US continues to lag behind on equivalent program, despite being known for accepting more refugees than other country in the world. 15/

I can’t imagine what would happen if I didn’t have an unexpired student visa at that time to get to the US & apply for asylum afterward (the UKBNO scheme had not been extended to cover those who were born after 1997 w/ a parent who possesses a BNOs; other programs take time.) 16/

I am thankful for ppl who hv helped me to get past this & now I want to advocate for those in need to seek refuge. As long as the US asylum system continues to fail, issuing a P-2 status for #HongKoners & #Uyghurs will help save those who are vulnerable to CCP persecution. end/