Rights advocates had said the Uyghurs, a persecuted Muslim minority in China, were “at real risk” of torture, imprisonment or even death if they were returned.

The State Department on Friday announced sanctions on an unknown number of current and former Thai officials for their role in deporting at least 40 Uyghur men to China despite worries that they could be jailed or even face death there.

The U.S. Embassy in Thailand this week advised U.S. citizens to “exercise increased caution and vigilance” following Thailand’s recent deportation of asylum-seekers to China.