Dozens of men from the ethnic minority sought escape from repression in China a decade ago, but have been detained in Thailand ever since.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of state, is pledging to press Thailand to prevent the deportation of 48 Uyghurs held there since 2014 after fleeing alleged persecution in Xinjiang, in northwest China.

A group of Uyghurs who were detained in Thailand over a decade ago say that the Thai government is preparing to deport them to China, alarming activists who say the men are at risk of abuse and torture if they are sent back.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio – the incoming Trump administration’s pick to lead the U.S. State Department – will lobby Thailand to ensure that 48 ethnic Uyghurs held there on immigration charges are not sent back to China where they would likely face persecution, according to rights groups.