US Extends Protection for Hong Kong Residents, Citing Chinese Repression

On Jan. 26, President Joe Biden announced the extension of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for eligible Hong Kong residents for two years. The DED had been set to expire on Feb. 5.
DED is a program authorized at the discretion of the U.S. president, which protects certain individuals from deportation and allows them to live in the United States for a designated period of time.
“The United States supports the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the residents of Hong Kong. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has continued to erode those rights and freedoms, and as such I am directing an extension and expansion of the deferral of removal of certain Hong Kong residents who are present in the United States,” said the White House memorandum that announced the program’s extension….}