I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2349 
To designate residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as Priority 
2 refugees of special humanitarian concern, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 25, 2025 
Mr. SUBRAMANYAM (for himself, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. CONNOLLY, 
Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. BEYER, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. NUNN of Iowa, Mr. CAR-
SON, 
Mr. 
MAGAZINER, 
Ms. 
TITUS, 
Mr. 
MOULTON, 
and 
Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To designate residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous 
Region as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian 
concern, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Uyghur Human Rights 
Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) The Government of the People’s Republic of 
China has a long history of repressing Turkic Mus-
lims and other Muslim minority groups, particularly 
Uyghurs, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Re-
gion (‘‘Xinjiang’’ or ‘‘XUAR’’), also known as East 
Turkestan. Central and regional Chinese government 
policies have systematically discriminated against 
these minority groups by denying them a range of 
civil and political rights, particularly freedom of reli-
gion. 
(2) In May 2014, the Government of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China launched its latest ‘‘Strike 
Hard Against Violent Extremism’’ campaign, using 
wide-scale, internationally linked threats of terrorism 
as a pretext to justify pervasive restrictions on and 
serious human rights violations against members of 
ethnic minority communities in Xinjiang. The Au-
gust 2016 appointment of former Tibet Autonomous 
Region Party Secretary Chen Quanguo to be Party 
Secretary of the XUAR accelerated the crackdown 
across the region. Scholars, human rights organiza-
tions, journalists, and think tanks have provided 
ample evidence substantiating the establishment by 
the Government of the People’s Republic of China of 
internment camps. Since 2017, the Government of 
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the People’s Republic of China has detained more 
than 1,000,000 Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, 
and members of other Muslim minority groups in 
these camps. The total ethnic minority population of 
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was approxi-
mately 13,000,000 at the time of the last census 
conducted by the People’s Republic of China in 
2010. 
(3) The Government of the People’s Republic of 
China’s actions against Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, 
Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority 
groups in Xinjiang violate international human 
rights laws and norms, including— 
(A) the International Convention on the 
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimina-
tion, to which the People’s Republic of China 
has acceded; 
(B) the Convention against Torture and 
Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment 
or Punishment, which the People’s Republic of 
China has signed and ratified; 
(C) the Convention on the Prevention and 
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which 
the People’s Republic of China has signed and 
ratified; 
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(D) the International Covenant on Civil 
and Political Rights, which the People’s Repub-
lic of China has signed; and 
(E) the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights and the International Labor Organiza-
tion’s Force Labor Convention (no. 29) and the 
Abolition of Forced Labor Convention (no. 
105). 
(4) Senior Chinese Communist Party officials 
bear direct responsibility for gross human rights vio-
lations committed against Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, 
Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority 
groups. These abuses include the arbitrary detention 
of more than 1,000,000 Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, 
Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority 
groups, separation of working age adults from their 
children and elderly parents, and the integration of 
forced labor into supply chains. 
(5) Those held in detention facilities and intern-
ment camps in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous 
Region have described forced political indoctrination, 
torture, beatings, food deprivation, sexual assault, 
coordinated campaigns to reduce birth rates among 
Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims through forced 
sterilization, and denial of religious, cultural, and 
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linguistic freedoms. These victims have confirmed 
they were told by guards that the only way to secure 
their release was to demonstrate adequate political 
loyalty. Poor conditions and lack of medical treat-
ment at such facilities appear to have contributed to 
the deaths of some detainees, including the elderly 
and infirm. Recent media reports indicate that since 
2019 the Government of the People’s Republic of 
China has newly constructed, expanded, or fortified 
at least 60 detention facilities with higher security 
or prison-like features. 
(6) In September 2018, United Nations High 
Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet 
noted ‘‘the deeply disturbing allegations of large- 
scale arbitrary detentions of Uyghurs and other 
Muslim communities, in so-called reeducation camps 
across Xinjiang’’. 
(7) In 2019, the Congressional-Executive Com-
mission on China concluded that, based on available 
evidence, the establishment and actions committed in 
the internment camps in Xinjiang Uyghur Autono-
mous Region may constitute ‘‘crimes against human-
ity’’. 
(8) Uyghurs and ethnic Kazaks resettled or re-
siding in third countries report being subjected to 
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threats and harassment from People’s Republic of 
China officials. 
(9) There is a backlog of approximately 3.6 mil-
lion visa applicants waiting to enter the United 
States. Wait times for certain visas are between 5 
and 18 years. 
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN RESIDENTS OF THE 
XINJIANG UYGHUR AUTONOMOUS REGION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Persons of special humanitarian 
concern eligible for Priority 2 processing under the refugee 
resettlement priority system shall include the following: 
(1) Individuals who are residents of or fled the 
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region who suffered 
persecution or have a well-founded fear of persecu-
tion on account of their peaceful expression of polit-
ical opinions, religious or cultural beliefs, or peaceful 
participation in political, religious, or cultural activi-
ties or associations. 
(2) Individuals residing in other provinces of 
China, or individuals not firmly resettled in third 
countries, who fled the Xinjiang Uyghur Autono-
mous Region because of the causes described in 
paragraph (1). 
(3) Individuals who have been formally charged, 
detained, or convicted on account of their peaceful 
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actions as described in the Uyghur Human Rights 
Policy Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–145). 
(4) The spouses, children, and parents (as such 
terms are defined in subsections (a) and (b) of sec-
tion 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101)) of individuals described in paragraph 
(1), (2), or (3), except such parents who are citizens 
of a country other than the People’s Republic of 
China. 
(b) PROCESSING OF XINJIANG UYGHUR AUTONO-
MOUS REGION REFUGEES.—The processing of individuals 
described in subsection (a) for classification as refugees 
may occur in China or in a third country. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY FOR ADMISSION AS REFUGEES.—An 
alien may not be denied the opportunity to apply for ad-
mission as a refugee under this section primarily because 
such alien— 
(1) qualifies as an immediate relative of a cit-
izen of the United States; or 
(2) is eligible for admission to the United 
States under any other immigrant classification. 
(d) FACILITATION OF ADMISSIONS.—Certain appli-
cants for admission to the United States from the 
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, as described in sub-
section (a), may not be denied primarily on the basis of 
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a politically, religiously, or culturally motivated arrest, de-
tention, or other adverse government action taken against 
such applicant as a result of the participation by such ap-
plicant in protest activities. 
(e) EXCLUSION FROM NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.— 
Aliens provided refugee status under this section shall not 
be counted against any numerical limitation under section 
201, 202, 203, or 207 of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1151, 1152, 1153, or 1157). 
(f) PRIORITY.—The Secretary of State shall prioritize 
bilateral diplomacy with third countries hosting former 
residents from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, 
as described in subsection (a), and who face significant 
diplomatic pressure from the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China. 
(g) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 
every 90 days thereafter, the Secretary of State and 
the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a 
report on the matters described in paragraph (2) 
to— 
(A) the Committee on the Judiciary and 
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate; and 
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(B) the Committee on the Judiciary and 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—Each report 
required by paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) the total number of applications that 
are pending at the end of the reporting period; 
(B) the average wait times and number of 
applicants who are currently pending— 
(i) a pre-screening interview with a re-
settlement support center; 
(ii) an interview with U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services; 
(iii) the completion of security checks; 
and 
(iv) receipt of a final decision after 
completion of an interview with U.S. Citi-
zenship and Immigration Services; and 
(C) the number of denials of applications 
for refugee status, disaggregated by the reason 
for each such denial. 
(3) FORM.—Each report required by paragraph 
(1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 
include a classified annex. 
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(4) PUBLIC REPORTS.—The Secretary of State 
shall make each report submitted under this sub-
section available to the public on the internet website 
of the Department of State. 
(h) SATISFACTION
OF OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 
Aliens eligible under this section for Priority 2 processing 
under this section as Priority 2 refugees of special human-
itarian concern under the refugee resettlement priority 
system shall be considered to satisfy the requirements 
under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1157) for admission to the United States. 
SEC. 4. WAIVER OF IMMIGRANT STATUS PRESUMPTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The presumption under the first 
sentence of section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(b)) that every alien is an immi-
grant until the alien establishes that the alien is entitled 
to nonimmigrant status shall not apply to an alien de-
scribed in subsection (b). 
(b) ALIEN DESCRIBED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An alien described in this 
paragraph is an alien who— 
(A) on January 1, 2023, was a resident of 
the Xinjiang Special Administrative Region; 
(B) fled the Xinjiang Special Administra-
tive Region after June 30, 2009, and now re-
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sides in a different province of China or third 
country; 
(C) is seeking entry to the United States 
to apply for asylum under section 208 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1158); and 
(D) is facing repression in the Xinjiang 
Uyghur Autonomous Region by the Government 
of the People’s Republic of China including— 
(i) forced and arbitrary detention in-
cluding in internment and so-called re-edu-
cation camps; 
(ii) forced political indoctrination, tor-
ture, beatings, food deprivation, and denial 
of religious, cultural, and linguistic free-
doms; 
(iii) forced labor; 
(iv) forced separation from family 
members; or 
(v) other forms of systemic threats, 
harassment, and gross human rights viola-
tions. 
(2) EXCLUSION.—An alien described in this 
paragraph does not include any alien who— 
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(A) is a citizen or permanent resident of a 
country other than the People’s Republic of 
China; or 
(B) is determined to have committed a 
gross violation of human rights. 
(c) INTENTION
TO
ABANDON
FOREIGN
RESI-
DENCE.—The fact that an alien described in this section 
is or was the beneficiary of an application for refugee sta-
tus, or is seeking entry to the United States to apply for 
asylum under section 208 of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1158), shall not constitute evidence 
of an intention to abandon a foreign residence for pur-
poses of obtaining or maintaining the status of a non-
immigrant described in section 101(a)(15) of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)). 
SEC. 5. REFUGEE AND ASYLUM DETERMINATIONS UNDER 
THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT. 
(a) PERSECUTION ON ACCOUNT OF POLITICAL, RE-
LIGIOUS, OR CULTURAL EXPRESSION OR ASSOCIATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an alien who 
is within a category of aliens established under this 
Act, the alien may establish, for purposes of section 
3(a)(1) of this Act, that the alien has a well-founded 
fear of persecution on account of race, religion, na-
tionality, membership in a particular social group, or 
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political opinion by asserting such a fear and assert-
ing a credible basis for concern about the possibility 
of such persecution. 
(2) NATIONALS OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF 
CHINA.—For purposes of refugee determinations 
under this Act in accordance with section 207 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), a 
national of the People’s Republic of China whose 
residency in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Re-
gion, or any other area within the jurisdiction of the 
People’s Republic of China, as determined by the 
Secretary of State, is revoked for having submitted 
to any United States Government agency a nonfrivo-
lous application for refugee status, asylum, or any 
other immigration benefit under the immigration 
laws shall be considered to have suffered persecution 
on account of political opinion. 
(b) CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES.—For purposes of 
asylum determinations under this Act in accordance with 
section 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1158), the revocation of the citizenship, nation-
ality, or residency of an individual for having submitted 
to any United States Government agency a nonfrivolous 
application for refugee status, asylum, or any other immi-
gration benefit under the immigration laws shall be con-
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sidered to be a changed circumstance under subsection 
(a)(2)(D) of that section. 
(c) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘immigration laws’’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(17)). 
SEC. 6. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON ENCOURAGING ALLIES 
AND PARTNERS TO MAKE SIMILAR ACCOM-
MODATIONS. 
It is the policy of the United States to encourage al-
lies and partners of the United States to make accom-
modations similar to the accommodations made in this Act 
for residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 
who are fleeing oppression by the Government of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China. 
SEC. 7. TERMINATION. 
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 
shall cease to have effect on the date that is 10 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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