Most Uyghurs immigrated from Xinjiang, China, to the United States from the late 1980s onwards, with a significant number arriving after July 2009.

Uyghurs' history in the United States dates back to the 1960s with the arrival of a small number of immigrants.

There are also small populations of Uyghurs in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Houston.

In 2019, the Chinese government was reported to have harassed and abused Uyghurs in the United States, in an attempt to control the speech and actions of Uyghur-Americans.

[4] Section 8 of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 requires a report on "efforts to protect United States citizens and residents, including ethnic Uyghurs and Chinese nationals legally studying or working temporarily in the United States, who have experienced harassment or intimidation within the United States by officials or agents of the Government of the People’s Republic of China" to be produced within 90 days.