Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised Dec. 18, 2018 |
| Report Number |
RL31269 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Andorra Bruno and Katherine Bush, Domestic Social Policy Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
A refugee is a person fleeing his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of
persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or
political opinion. Typically, the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United
States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region are set by the
President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year.
For FY2018, the worldwide refugee ceiling is 45,000. The FY2018 regional allocations are, as
follows: Africa (19,000), East Asia (5,000), Europe and Central Asia (2,000), Latin
America/Caribbean (1,500), and Near East/South Asia (17,500). Refugee admissions in FY2017
totaled 53,716.
On October 24, 2017, a 120-day suspension of the refugee admissions program put in place by
President Donald Trump expired. The same day, President Trump issued an executive order that
provided for the resumption of the refugee program subject to certain conditions. The executive
order referenced “special measures” that would be applied to refugees whose entry poses
potential threats to the United States. Among other provisions, it directed the Secretary of
Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of National
Intelligence, to determine within 90 days whether any steps that were taken to address the risks
posed by the admission of any category of refugees should be modified or terminated.
The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) within the Department of State
(DOS) coordinates and manages the U.S. refugee program. Generally, PRM arranges for a nongovernmental
organization, an international organization, or U.S. embassy contractors to manage
a Resettlement Support Center that assists in refugee processing.
Overseas processing of refugees is conducted through a system of three priorities for admission.
Priority 1 comprises cases involving persons facing compelling security concerns. Priority 2
comprises cases involving persons from specific groups of special humanitarian concern to the
United States (e.g., Iranian religious minorities). Priority 3 comprises family reunification cases
involving close relatives of persons admitted as refugees or granted asylum.
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) is responsible for adjudicating refugee cases. To be eligible for admission to the United
States as a refugee, an individual must meet the definition of a refugee, not be firmly resettled in
another country, be determined to be of special humanitarian concern to the United States, and be
admissible to the United States.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement (HHS/ORR)
administers an initial transitional assistance program for temporarily dependent refugees,
Cuban/Haitian entrants, and others. For FY2017, the Refugee and Entrant Assistance account was
funded at $2.141 billion, which included $1.675 billion appropriated in P.L. 115-31 and $467
million in funds transferred from within HHS.
