Seven GOP Representatives Cheerlead Hong Kong Population Transfer Bill

HONG KONG - AUGUST 31: Protesters take part in an anti-government rally as they march on a
Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Penny Starr

Seven GOP members of the House of Representatives joined Democrats in passing legislation that opens a pipeline for Hong Kong citizens to relocate virtually permanently to the United States, including Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), a Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member, who wasn’t a sponsor of the bill but spoke on the House floor in favor of it.

“The people’s Republic of China poses the greatest threat to America today,” McCaul said. “And the greatest threat to democracy worldwide since World War II. I couldn’t agree more.”

He said opposing the Chinese should include “support to Hong Kong refugees, fleeing the Chinese Communist Party persecution, which this bill does.”

“The Hong Kong Freedom and Choice Act serves as a reminder to the Chinese Communist Party that America stands with the people of Hong Kong and it will stand for freedom,” McCaul said.

The six Republicans who co-sponsored the bill are Reps. Adam Kinzinger (IL), Ted Yoho (FL), Rodney Davis (IL), Joe Wilson (SC), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), and Van Taylor (TX).

As Breitbart News reported, House Democrats and Republicans on Monday approved a mass immigration pipeline that will provide expedited entry into the United States for Hong Kong residents:

Through a procedure known as “unanimous consent,” House Democrats passed H.R. 8428 — known as the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act of 2020 — which invites millions of Hong Kong residents to the U.S. Unanimous consent rules allow lawmakers to pass legislation without a voice vote so long as no lawmaker objects. In this case, no House Republicans objected to the legislation.

The legislation, authored by Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and co-sponsored by six Republicans and 23 Democrats, gives Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Hong Kong residents, their spouses, and their children up to the age of 27-years-old.

Estimates by the Center for Immigration Studies have put the total number of Hong Kong residents “who might be eligible for benefits” under the legislation at 8.15 million.

“Let’s be real, there is nothing temporary about what China has done in Hong Kong, nor is there anything temporary about the TPS program,” R.J. Hauman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said. “In the next decade, will the Chinese Communist Party change its mind and quit criminalizing dissent and create a democracy there? Will this bill suddenly encourage them to do so? No.”

“This is a shady effort to grant permanent residence to many Hong Kong residents in the U.S. under the guise of protecting democracy,” Hauman said. “Instead, lawmakers should reform the TPS program as a whole, and most importantly, focus on immigration proposals that protect and enhance the interests of the American people.”

TPS is a quasi-amnesty for otherwise illegal aliens created under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990 (INA) that prevents the deportation of foreign nationals from countries that have suffered from famine, war, or natural disasters. Though it was originally intended to be temporary, TPS for a wide array of foreign nationals has been in place for decades.

H.R. 8428 now heads to the U.S. Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to pstarr@breitbart.com

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