Sen. Ted Cruz’s peculiar aversion to protecting Hong Kong dissidents
The Cold War was a dark, tense time when two hostile superpowers were locked in an endless standoff, grappling for advantage around the globe and poised to annihilate each other in a nuclear war.
There are times I really miss it.
One of those times is now, as the people of Hong Kong are brought under the thumb of the ruling Chinese Communist Party — steadily losing the autonomy that made it an island of freedom alongside a dictatorship. Residents of the former British colony now face being deprived of the rights they have long enjoyed.
Anyone who detests communist repression was inspired by the massive protests that occurred there in 2014 and 2019. The latter erupted after the Beijing-controlled local government proposed to allow the extradition of accused criminals from Hong Kong to mainland China — exposing its people to the horrors of Beijing’s legal and penal systems. The protests forced the withdrawal of the bill, but last year, the Chinese government imposed a harsh new “national security” law aimed at quelling opposition in Hong Kong.
When Cuba fell to communism, the United States welcomed hundreds of thousands of Cubans who fled Fidel Castro’s rule. We took their arrival as a confirmation of the human thirst for freedom and a damning indictment of Marxist rule.
Among those who were granted political asylum was Rafael Cruz. His son is Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who last summer traveled to Hong Kong to show his solidarity with anti-government demonstrators. “A protester has power that makes the dictatorship tremble,” he declared.
But it’s not only the Chinese government that fears these protesters. So does Cruz, and so does President Donald Trump. Republicans whose party once celebrated refugees escaping communism now want to slam the door on the endangered dissidents of Hong Kong.
The Trump administration has imposed some penalties on Beijing over the issue, but it has also made it harder for Hong Kongers to find a safe haven here. It has slashed annual refugee admissions from 85,000 in 2016 to just 15,000 — the lowest of any year on record, according to Alysha Welsh, a managing attorney for Human Rights First.
In a rule that was scheduled go into effect Monday, it barred asylum to anyone entering the U.S. from a third country who didn’t seek asylum there — even if it was just a flight layover in Toronto. (On Friday, a federal court blocked its implementation.) And it has greatly tightened the rules on who qualifies for admission, which is especially harmful to Hong Kongers. “It’s going to be virtually impossible for anyone to gain asylum,” Welsh told me.
Last month, the House of Representatives easily passed “The Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act,” granting temporary refuge to those in the U.S. (such as students) who are afraid to go back, while exempting Hong Kong refugees from the Trump administration’s stingy numerical limit.
“I’m proud to see our legislation pass the House today, reaffirming our commitment to being the beacon of hope for freedom-seeking people around the world,” said Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., one of the lead sponsors, echoing Ronald Reagan in his prime. “I’m proud to know what we stand for is being put into action, helping Hong Kongers flee communist persecution.”
But he didn’t reckon with Cruz, who took pride in blocking consideration of the bill. Why would someone who owes his citizenship to a generous policy toward the victims of Cuban communism spurn an effort to help victims of Chinese communism? Cruz claimed that if the measure became law, Beijing would use it to smuggle in spies.
That’s possible, but Castro could have done the same when we accepted Cuban refugees. Besides, the Chinese government doesn’t need a new avenue. There are nearly 2.5 million Chinese immigrants living here. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese have come as students. Millions come as tourists. Blocking admissions from Hong Kong is like putting bars on a window to prevent burglary while leaving your doors unlocked.
Cruz said Democrats were using the issue as a way of undermining our immigration laws. But our immigration laws have long made room for victims of political oppression. And it’s more accurate to say that Trump and Cruz don’t want Hong Kongers to be allowed in because of their hard-line views on immigration. They want to keep out foreigners, regardless of their country of origin, even those coming through legal channels.
America has long been a beacon of hope for those who suffer under communist rule. Trump and Cruz want to turn out the lights.