A bipartisan group in Congress is calling for stronger enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The senators are concerned that China is relocating Uyghurs to factories across the country.

Lawmakers urge action on Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

In a letter, four US senators urged the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to expand its efforts. The senators were writing in response to new reports that China is moving Uyghur workers from the Uyghur Region to factories across the country to evade US import bans.

“It is clear […] that further measures are needed to drastically expand the UFLPA Entity List to address these forced labor transfer programs outside Xinjiang,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts in a statement. Senators Jeff Merkley, John Curtis, and Chris Coons, joined him in requesting a formal briefing by July 18.

The senators cited a recent joint investigation by the New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and Der Spiegel documenting widespread forced transfers of Uyghur workers. Researchers identified at least 70 factories in five major industries using transferred Uyghur labor.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed support for the senators’ demands. “The Chinese communist government must be held accountable for its oppression of Uyghur Muslims […] and it cannot be allowed to profit off of their crimes,” said CAIR’s Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw.

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