Whereas Sandy Phan-Gillis, a naturalized United States citizen of Chinese ancestry and Texas businesswoman, has been detained by the Chinese State Security since March 2015; Whereas Sandy traveled to China to promote business opportunities in her hometown of Houston, Texas; Whereas Sandy was detained by Chinese security agents as she was passing through an immigration control connecting mainland China with Macau; Whereas Chinese authorities waited six months before admitting she had been detained; Whereas in June 2016, a United Nations panel ruled that China had violated international human rights by denying Sandy access to legal assistance and holding her without bringing her before judicial authorities; Whereas Sandy is charged with going on a spy mission to Guangxi, China, on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency in the summer of 1996; Whereas Sandy’s passport for 1996 had no Chinese visa, no Chinese entry stamps, and no Chinese exit stamps; Whereas Sandy’s pay stubs from the Houston Police Department, where she worked from 1993 to 1998, showed that during the time in question she took a total of 11 hours of vacation; Whereas Sandy has denied any wrongdoing and said her detention was political and not criminal, according to a letter transcribed by a United States consular official in China; Whereas China has provided little information about its allegations, saying only that she is suspected of stealing and spying on its national secrets and that during her arrest a new crime of espionage was uncovered; and Whereas the Department of State has said consular officials meet every month with Phan-Gillis and are monitoring the case closely: Now, therefore, be it