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.

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.