Recently, many Chinese individuals applying for asylum in the United States have been worried about being sent to “safe third countries” such as Uganda. The unilateral proposal put forth by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was canceled on Friday (19th).
Los Angeles-based Global Law Firm’s Dr. Zheng Cunzhu explained to a reporter from Dajiyuan that the immigration lawyer received an email from DHS on Friday afternoon stating that the “safe third country” agreement between the United States and Uganda remains valid, but only applies to indigenous people and citizens of African countries. The proposal to deport Chinese individuals to Uganda has been canceled.
In recent times, some Chinese individuals who were denied asylum in the United States have received immigration court rulings that they will be sent to the small African nation of Uganda, causing widespread anxiety in the Chinese immigrant community. They fear being deported back to mainland China from Uganda. It has been publicly disclosed that the CCP and Uganda elevated their relationship to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” last September, engaging in comprehensive cooperation in areas such as economy, military, and law. There have been several cases where Chinese individuals residing in Uganda have been extradited by the CCP.
During an interview on Thursday (18th), Dr. Zheng mentioned that President Trump’s first term had already formulated related laws. The background was that there was an overflow of asylum applications in the United States, causing a backlog of cases in both immigration agencies and courts, alongside continuous illegal immigration. Therefore, the United States sought to utilize the “safe third country” clause in the Immigration and Nationality Act to send specific foreign nationals to a third country to apply for asylum.
The “safe third country” agreements signed by President Trump in his first term included several countries in South and Central America. Although the Biden administration revoked agreements with these countries upon taking office, the legislation sending individuals to third countries was not repealed. President Trump, during his second term, signed the “safe third country” agreement (ACA) with multiple countries, including Uganda, to receive refugees rejected by the United States.
Dr. Zheng stated that the relationship between Uganda and the CCP is very good, with the CCP investing heavily in the country by establishing numerous factories and even a military academy, causing great concern among Chinese individuals applying for asylum in the United States.
Previously, some asylum applicants represented by immigration law firms had received proposals to be deported to Uganda. Dr. Zheng commented on X on Wednesday (17th) that this was an impractical policy and predicted it would be short-lived. He cited multiple reasons, the main two being:
Firstly, even if immigration officials decided to close asylum cases, there is still an appeals process; meaning judgments cannot take immediate effect, and ICE cannot immediately detain the applicants in court.
Secondly, if ICE were to arrest people in court, it is estimated that all applicants would choose to skip their hearings and refuse to report to ICE.
Dr. Zheng believes that millions of applicants who initially applied for immigration through legal procedures would now become “undeclared residents” that the government cannot control. He stated, “This so-called problem-solving policy does not resolve any existing issues; it merely makes more people ‘disappear’ in the United States.”
After the news broke on Friday, some Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles who were in the process of applying for asylum rejoiced, reigniting hope for their future. They expressed on social media their surprise at how quickly the policy changed, indicating that the U.S. government handled societal responses promptly after the policy was announced.
However, Dr. Zheng also cautioned that unsuccessful asylum applicants or those awaiting interviews from China, though no longer concerned about being sent to Uganda, are not immune to being sent to other countries.