A resolution reaffirming the importance of the United States promoting the safety, health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons in the United States and around the world.
This is a non-binding Senate resolution (S. Res. 287) introduced in the 119th Congress that reaffirms the United States’ commitment to promoting the safety, health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons both in the United States and around the world. Drawing on World Refugee Day and the 1951 Refugee Convention, the measure emphasizes restoring and strengthening asylum protections and the US Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which administers refugee resettlement in the United States. It also calls for lifting an indefinite suspension on refugee admissions, ensuring due process and non-refoulement (the principle that refugees should not be returned to danger), and enhancing international leadership, humanitarian assistance, and protection for vulnerable populations including women, LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, and victims of trafficking or violence. As a resolution, it expresses policy priorities rather than creating new laws. It urges executive branch agencies (State, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services) and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to restore and expand refugee protection, meet international commitments, address root causes of displacement, support host countries, and involve refugees themselves in policy decisions. Note: The text references actions and entities (such as uplifting an indefinite suspension of USRAP and mentions a call to President Trump) that may reflect older administrations or hypothetical scenarios; as a resolution, it articulates policy positions rather than binding legislative changes.
Key Points
- 1Reaffirms a comprehensive, fair, and humane policy approach to forced migration and refugee challenges, including education for refugee children and protection for displaced persons.
- 2Reaffirms the United States’ asylum protections and rejects bans or restrictions that limit refugees’ access to protections and due process at the border (non-refoulement is highlighted as a core principle).
- 3Reinforces the importance of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program as a tool for national and regional security and international solidarity with host countries.
- 4Calls for lifting the indefinite suspension of the United States Refugee Admissions Program and fully restoring refugee resettlement to the United States.
- 5Directs key federal officials (Secretary of State, DHS Secretary, HHS Secretary, and U.S. Ambassador to the UN) to lead internationally—strengthening humanitarian response, protecting vulnerable refugees (including gender-based violence survivors, people with disabilities, victims of torture and trafficking), addressing root causes of displacement, supporting UNHCR and NGOs, and expanding refugee protection commitments (including meeting Global Refugee Forum pledges and ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities).
- 6Refugee: someone who has been forced to flee their country due to persecution, war, or violence and seeks protection in another country.
- 7Asylum protections: rights and processes that allow individuals fleeing danger in their home countries to seek refuge and have due process in the destination country.
- 8Non-refoulement: international protection principle prohibiting the return of refugees to a country where they could face persecution or serious harm.
- 9USRAP: United States Refugee Admissions Program, the U.S. system for admitting refugees for resettlement.