The landmark 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act and 1980 Refugee Act codified the right of any person who has been persecuted or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of 5 factors: race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, to seek safety in the US as refugees. There are currently 29.6 million refugees globally (the most in history), and most are hosted in developing countries. The United Nations coordinates resettlement in countries like the US for the most vulnerable 1% of refugees, and the annual number of refugees resettled is decided by the President. The US was instrumental in creating the international refugee resettlement system, and has led the world in refugee resettlement. It has accepted more refugees historically than any other country, and, from 1982-2016, made up 69% of all refugee resettlement. Usually, the President and advisors decide how many people to take based on the number of displaced people globally. 2016-2020 marked a break from tradition, as the US accepted record low numbers of refugees during the global crisis.
Resettlement Process
Refugees are registered and vetted by the United Nations, and go through further screenings and background checks once they are selected for the US by the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and other agencies. The process takes an average of two years. After refugees arrive in the US, they are resettled by one of nine national non-profit organizations which work closely with the federal government and local partner organizations all over the country. The federal government allocated a one-time grant of $2,125 per refugee to the national organizations in 2019 to support housing, language training, medical care, and provide a stipend until the refugees are financially independent. Refugees also utilize public services like education, and non-profits supply additional resettlement resources. There are several different paths to becoming a US permanent resident, and refugees have made up 5-10% of new permanent residents for the past decade.
Global Compact on Refugees
The majority of refugees are not resettled, and are instead hosted in developing countries neighboring conflict zones until they are able to return home. In 2018 the United Nations proposed the Global Compact for Refugees which advocates for an international plan to support developing countries bearing the burden for the refugee crisis. In exchange, host countries would work to better integrate the refugee populations.
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