Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) has expressed its appreciation towards the Georgetown University community for their advocacy in accelerating Uyghur asylum claims. Georgetown Law students, under the guidance of Human Rights Initiative Executive Director Elisa Massimino and Distinguished Fellow and CFU Advisory Board Member Scott Busby, recently composed a persuasive letter to Secretary Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security. The letter detailed the dire circumstances encountered by Uyghurs and other ethnic Turkic groups in the Uyghur region, emphasizing the need for prompt processing of their asylum claims.
The letter was also signed by Thomas Kellogg, Executive Director of the Center for Asian Law at Georgetown University Law Center; James Millward, Professor at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University; and Andrew Schoenholtz, Professor from Practice and Faculty Director at the Center for Applied Legal Studies and the Human Rights Institute, Georgetown University Law Center.
The document presents a robust legal argument based on U.S. asylum law as specified in 8 C.F.R. § 208.13(b)(2)(iii)(A). This clause permits asylum for individuals who can prove a consistent pattern of persecution against their group based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Considering that the U.S. State Department has designated the situation in the Uyghur region as genocide, the letter argues that Uyghur applicants only need to verify their identity to establish eligibility for asylum. The Georgetown Law students who authored this letter also attended CFU’s launch event of the Congressional Uyghur Caucus on April 16th to observe and contribute to renewed efforts to address this humanitarian crisis.
Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, lauded these efforts stating: “We commend the passion and commitment of these members of the Georgetown community who have highlighted a critical issue at a pivotal moment. Our community is facing ongoing genocide, and only a handful of Uyghurs are currently undergoing the asylum process and have been able to obtain permanent protection. As members of the global community, we must ensure that their cries for help are heard and acted upon. We must all stand together to urge the Department of Homeland Security to take into consideration the severity of the Uyghur crisis, adopt a favorable interpretation of current law, and prioritize the asylum applications of Uyghurs and members of other Turkic groups.”
CFU also urges like-minded individuals, organizations, and advocates worldwide to support this necessary change.
