New US bill would offer permanent residence to Hong Kongers as arrests of DED holders continue
Hong Kong Watch welcomes the introduction of the Hong Konger Promise of Refuge Act (H.R.10685, S.5606), introduced on October 6, 2026 in the Senate by Senator Jeff Merkley and in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jim McGovern. The bill would allow Hong Kongers covered by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to apply for permanent residence in the United States.
Hong Kongers in the US have been shielded from removal under DED since August 2021, after the President determined it would not be safe to return these pro-democracy Hong Kongers to the city amidst Beijing’s authoritarian crackdown. However, DED rests solely on presidential memoranda. No law requires it to be renewed, it offers no route to permanent status, and the current period expires on February 5, 2027.
Despite their lawful presence in the US, ICE began arresting Hong Kongers covered by DED around June 2026 and the arrests have continued since. Immigration judges and federal courts have ordered some of them released. At the same time, Hong Kong’s National Security Law claims jurisdiction over acts committed anywhere in the world, and Hong Kong police have publicly named overseas pro-democracy activists as wanted and offered bounties of up to HK$1 million (US$127,400), most recently in July 2025. Many Hong Kongers on DED would face repression at best and political imprisonment at worst if returned to Hong Kong.
Under the bill, DED recipients would have one year from enactment to apply to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for permanent residence. Their spouses and children could apply too. While an application is pending, the applicant could not be removed and would be authorised to work. Applicants must have lived in the US continuously, must not have returned to Hong Kong or mainland China, and must have no felony or multiple misdemeanor convictions.
The bill follows the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992, which granted permanent residence to People’s Republic of China nationals in the US after the Tiananmen Square massacre. Like that law, it covers a closed group with a single application window and no continuing eligibility. It does not change who may come to the US in future, and everyone who would benefit from the law has already been previously granted a visa and screened for national security risk by a US consulate.
Ray Wong, Policy and Strategy Advisor of Hong Kong Watch, said:
“Hong Kongers were given protection because of a crackdown the United States has condemned for seven years, and now they are being arrested despite that protection. A memorandum that expires in February is no safeguard against a government that puts bounties on its critics abroad. This bill finishes the job for a small group of people who are already here and have already been screened. Sending them back would put them at the mercy of a government that has already put a price on the heads of people like them.”
美國會推新法案讓DED港人申請永居
美國參議員默克利（Jeff Merkley）和眾議員麥高文（Jim McGovern）於2026年10月6日分別在參議院和眾議院提出《香港人庇護承諾法案》（Hong Konger Promise of Refuge Act，編號為H.R.10685、S.5606），香港監察歡迎此舉。法案會讓受「延遲強制離境」（Deferred Enforced Departure, DED）計劃保障的香港人能夠申請美國永久居留。
在美港人自2021年8月起受到DED計劃保護免被遣返，時任總統裁定在北京的威權打壓下，將這群支持民主的香港人送回香港並不安全。不過，DED計劃完全依賴總統備忘錄。沒有任何法律規定續期，計劃亦沒提供永居途徑，目前將於2027年2月5日到期。
雖然他們合法居留美國，但美國移民及海關執法局（ICE）在2026年6月左右開始拘捕受DED計劃保障的香港人，拘捕行動自此一直持續。移民法官和聯邦法院已下令釋放當中部分人士。同時，香港《國家安全法》聲稱對在世界任何地方干犯的行為擁有司法管轄權，香港警方亦公開通緝海外民主活動人士，並懸紅高達100萬港元（127,400美元），最近一次發生在2025年7月。很多受DED計劃保障的香港人如果被遣返回香港，輕則受到打壓，重則被政治監禁。
根據這項法案，獲得DED的人士自法案生效起有一年時間向美國公民及移民服務局（USCIS）申請永居。他們的配偶和子女也可申請。申請待審期間，申請人不能被遣返，並獲准工作。申請人必須持續在美國居住，不得返回香港或中國大陸，亦不得有任何重罪或多項輕罪紀錄。
這項法案參照1992年《中國學生保護法案》，那項法案在天安門廣場屠殺事件後授予在美中國公民永居。與那項法律一樣，這項法案針對封閉式群體，僅設一個申請時機，申請資格不可延續。法案不會改變未來誰可來美，所有受惠人士之前已經獲得簽證，並經過美國領事館的國家安全風險篩查。
香港監察政策及策略顧問黃台仰（Ray Wong）表示：
「香港人因美國譴責了七年的打壓而得到保護，但雖然有這種保護，他們現時仍然被捕。一份明年2月到期的備忘錄不能抵禦懸紅通緝海外批評者的政府。這項法案為一小撮已經身在美國並經過篩查的人收尾，遣返他們會將他們交到懸紅捉拿他們這類人的政府手中。」
Photo: Ivan Dražić on Pexels