CHICAGO – Justice For All‘s Save Uyghur Campaign supports the introduction of H.R. 8240, the “Stopping Asylum Fraudsters Enforcement and Removal Act of 2026” (SAFER Act), introduced on April 9, 2026 by Representative Thomas P. Tiffany. If passed into law it would be a necessary protection for the Uyghur American community by hindering the movement of Uyghurs who work for the Chinese communist party.
Save Uyghur particularly supports the enforcement of the denaturalization provisions within H.R. 8240. The legislation includes provisions that allow for the termination of asylum status and potential denaturalization for individuals who return to a “country of concern.”
There is no legitimate reason for a politically active Uyghur—particularly one who has sought asylum and citizenship in a democratic country—to return to Chinese-occupied East Turkistan, where the U.S. State Department has formally recognized an ongoing genocide, and where there is totalitarian surveillance and systematic repression for Uyghurs. Any such travel, unless it is for verified journalistic or human rights investigation purposes, should be regarded as collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In multiple documented cases, including reporting by Kashgar Times, Uyghurs have been subjected to coercion, surveillance and pressure to cooperate with Chinese authorities during such visits. They become state operatives whose actions endanger our entire movement and facilitate the Chinese government’s ongoing attempts to infiltrate, destabilize and silence Uyghur voices abroad.
“The reality is uncomfortable, but it must be addressed,” said Arslan Hidayat, Justice For All’s Save Uyghur Campaign team lead. “The Chinese government is not simply allowing visits out of goodwill. These are calculated opportunities to extend surveillance and coercion across borders. Uyghurs who return, even under emotional pressure to see family, are manipulated into endangering others.”
Justice For All’s Save Uyghur Campaign urges Congress to move swiftly in passing the SAFER Act of 2026 and to treat it with the urgency that the current moment demands. As long as the threat of Chinese transnational repression remains active, delays only widen the window for exploitation and harm. This bill is a necessary step to protect the Uyghur American community from exploitation and to uphold the integrity of asylum protections in the United States.