DEFENDING DEMOCRACY IN EXILE Policy Responses to Transnational Repression have the chance to enter the United States as refugees. Victims of transnational repression who are already in the United States and seeking asylum face a yearslong wait due to a claims processing backlog, and are especially vulnerable while their legal status remains in limbo. Asylum seekers cannot reunite with their families abroad, face delays securing eligibility for employment, are unable to pursue educational opportunities, and face the threat of deportation. As of the end of the fiscal year 2021, USCIS had 412,796 pending applications for asylum. • 16 Provide protections to specific populations that experience persecution and targeting for transnational repression as a group. Uyghurs are @FreedomHouse one such group. For Uyghurs inside the United States, resources should be invested into processing their expedited requests for affirmative asylum. Uyghurs located outside the United States should be recognized as persons of special humanitarian concern who are eligible for Priority 2 (P-2) processing under the refugee resettlement priority system administered by the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act (S.1080/H.R.1630), which is included in the America COMPETES Act (H.R.4521), would provide Uyghurs access to P-2 processing and should be passed. The administration and Congress should work with civil society to identify other populations facing transnational repression as a group, and offer them similar protections. #TransnationalRepression