119 HRES 1375 IH: 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. U.S. House of Representatives 2026-06-18 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV119th CONGRESS2d SessionH. RES. 1375IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESJune 18, 2026Mr. Lieu (for himself, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Omar, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. García of Illinois, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Norton, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Pocan, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Barragán, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Menefee, Ms. McClellan, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Balint, Mr. Amo, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Ms. McCollum, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Ms. Chu, Ms. Jayapal, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Mejia, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Leger Fernandez, and Mr. Carter of Louisiana) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concernedRESOLUTIONReaffirming 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.

Whereas June 20, 2026, is an international day designated by the United Nations as World Refugee Day, to recognize refugees around the globe and celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict or persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group; Whereas July 28, 2026, is the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, held at Geneva on July 28, 1951, a landmark achievement that for the first time codified a definition of the term refugee, established the foundational principle of non-refoulement, and outlined the rights of refugees and the legal obligations of nation states to protect such rights; Whereas, in 2026, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred to in this preamble as UNHCR) reported that as of the end of 2025— (1) there were more than 117,000,000 displaced people who had been forced from their homes worldwide, including more than 41,600,000 refugees, 9,000,000 asylum seekers, and 68,700,000 internally displaced persons; (2) 68 percent of all refugees worldwide were hosted in low- and middle-income countries and fewer than 1 percent of refugees are ever resettled; (3) 70 percent of all refugees worldwide were in protracted situations, meaning they have been forcibly displaced from their country of origin for five years or more; (4) approximately 1,300,000 Syrian refugees returned to Syria at the end of 2024 displaced by years of conflict; (5) nearly 2,000,000 internally displaced Syrians had returned to their area of origin, but the country remains affected by one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, despite positive political changes and renewed hope for returns following the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024; (6) approximately 8,900,000 Ukrainians were forcibly displaced as a result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, including 5,200,000 Ukrainian refugees, an increase from 2024; (7) there were an estimated 3,700,000 Afghan refugees around the world, representing a decrease from 2024 in part due to restrictive government policies toward Afghans in certain refugee-hosting countries, which placed vulnerable Afghans, including women and girls, at risk of persecution; (8) approximately 11,900,000 people were forcibly displaced due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan including 9,100,000 internally displaced persons, representing the largest internal displacement crisis globally, and an estimated 2,800,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring countries, many of whom are women or children; (9) there were more than 6,000,000 people displaced from Venezuela globally, the majority of whom were hosted in Latin America; (10) more than 1,400,000 people were forcibly displaced in Haiti due to widespread violence, representing a nearly 40 percent increase from 2024; (11) more than 90 percent of the population of Gaza (approximately 2,000,000 people) had been internally displaced since October 2023; (12) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the largest internal displacement crises continued with 3,900,000 people newly displaced due to the ongoing conflict even as 3,600,000 people returned to their area of origin, often involuntarily, due to the forced closure of internal displacement settlements by the de facto authorities; (13) an estimated 1,200,000 Rohingya refugees resided in Bangladesh, constituting the largest refugee settlement in the world, with thousands more Rohingya refugees residing in nearby countries; and (14) in the Sahel region, which encompasses Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, an estimated 3,900,000 people were forced to flee their homes; Whereas the vast majority of people fleeing persecution do not have access to refugee resettlement and instead must seek protection through asylum or other humanitarian relief; Whereas welcoming people from around the world who have been oppressed and persecuted is a tenet of our Nation and the United States is home to a diverse population of refugees and immigrants who contribute to the economic strengths and cultural richness of our communities; Whereas since seeking asylum is a protected right under United States domestic and international law, the United States is legally obligated to contribute to the maintenance of a humane and functioning international asylum system; Whereas the principle of non-refoulement is also a central tenet of the United States refugee and asylum systems and thousands of people living in the United States who immigrated from countries around the world would be subject to harm if they were deported to their countries of origin or to third countries due to widespread conflict or persecution in such countries; Whereas the United States Refugee Admissions Program, which was established in 1980— (1)is a lifesaving pillar of global humanitarian efforts; (2)advances United States national security and foreign policy goals; and (3)supports regional host countries; Whereas Executive Order 14163 (90 Fed. Reg. 8459; relating to realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program), which was issued on January 20, 2025, indefinitely suspending all refugee admissions to the United States, remains in place and continues to put at risk the lives and well-being of refugees fleeing violence and persecution, including Iranians, Afghans, Burmese Rohingya, Sudanese and Somalis; Whereas President Trump set the Fiscal Year 2026 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions at a record low of 7,500 individuals, prioritizing the resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa, such that Afrikaners made up over 95 percent of arrivals this fiscal year as of May 2026; Whereas President Trump’s decision to increase the Fiscal Year 2026 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions by 10,000, exclusively for the resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa, is a politically motivated and unjust decision that excludes those most in need of protection including tens of thousands of already-approved and thoroughly vetted refugees who have fled persecution; Whereas the Trump administration has failed to implement the Lautenberg-Specter Program, which Congress re-authorized for Fiscal Year 2026, to screen and admit religious minorities in the former Soviet Union and Iran who are facing persecution and discrimination, including 15,000 religious minorities in Iran; Whereas Presidential Proclamation 10949 and Presidential Proclamation 10998 cemented the suspension of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program, paused family reunification, and compounded the ban on refugee admissions, denying refugees and asylum seekers the chance to seek safe refuge in the United States; Whereas the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to United States foreign assistance have reduced support to refugees abroad, including through the reduction in food rations to refugees in camps, threatening to destabilize fragile situations: Whereas as of June 2026, the ongoing refugee admissions ban remains in effect; Whereas— (1)more than 100,000 refugees who had been conditionally approved for refugee status by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services remain indefinitely stranded; (2)more than 22,000 refugees who were considered ready for departure and who had completed all necessary medical checks, security screenings, and interviews remain indefinitely stranded; (3)more than 12,000 refugees who had flights booked to travel to the United States, many of whom had begun to move and sell belongings in preparation for their resettlement, remain indefinitely stranded; and (4)over 800 Afghan allies, about half of whom are women and children, evacuated to the Camp As Sayliyah base in Qatar are refugees, who have a clear path to resettle in the United States but remain indefinitely stranded; Whereas the Trump Administration actions to detain dozens of approved refugees, who underwent years of vetting prior to approval, thousands of miles from home to re-examine their refugee cases, only to determine once again that they were properly approved for refugee status, was a violation of our nation’s laws and commitments to refugees; Whereas the Constitution of the United States protects all individuals within its jurisdiction, regardless of citizenship status, and should afford noncitizens in the United States, including refugees and asylum seekers, full due process before deportation or other adverse action affecting their protection; Whereas attempts to suspend refugee admissions, bar individuals based on religion or nationality, or implement blanket asylum bans and indiscriminate removal or detention policies are inconsistent with the Constitution of the United States, the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–212), our treaty obligations, and established international human rights norms; Whereas resettlement is an essential part of a comprehensive strategy to respond to refugee crises, promote regional stability, and strengthen United States national security; Whereas resettlement to the United States is available for the most vulnerable refugees who undergo rigorous security vetting and medical screening processes; Whereas the United States supports the efforts of the UNHCR to increase protection for, and the global resettlement of, LGBTQI+ refugees overseas; Whereas women and girls have an increased risk of sexual violence, exploitation, and trafficking while they are traveling to seek safe living conditions; Whereas according to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services, between 2005 and 2019, refugees and asylum seekers in the United States contributed an estimated $581,000,000,000 in total revenue across all levels of government; Whereas most refugees integrate and quickly become self-sufficient members of their respective communities by joining the workforce, paying taxes, supporting local commerce, helping to address labor demand in critical industries, and creating new jobs; and Whereas robust funding for international and domestic protection and assistance for refugees and other displaced populations bolsters United States national security, foreign policy, economic, and humanitarian interests: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the urgency to establish and follow comprehensive, fair, and humane policies to address forced migration and refugee challenges; (2)reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of millions of refugees and asylum seekers, including the education of refugee children and displaced persons fleeing war, persecution, or torture in search of protection, peace, hope, and freedom; (3)recognizes the many individuals who have risked their lives working, either individually or on behalf of nongovernmental organizations or international agencies, such as UNHCR, to provide lifesaving assistance and protection for people around the world who have been displaced from their homes; (4)reaffirms the imperative to fully restore United States asylum protections enshrined in the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–212) by rejecting harmful bans and restrictions that limit refugees’ access to protections and due process at the United States border; (5)reaffirms the importance of the United States Refugee Admissions Program as a critical tool of the United States Government— (A)to strengthen national and regional security; and (B)to encourage international solidarity with host countries; (6)calls upon President Trump to lift the indefinite suspension of the United States Refugee Admissions Program and to fully restore resettlement to the United States; and (7)calls upon the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations— (A) to uphold the United States international leadership role in responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance and to strengthen its leadership role in the protection of vulnerable refugee populations that endure gender-based violence, torture, human trafficking, persecution, violence against religious minorities, forced conscription, genocide, and exploitation; (B)to work in partnership with the international community to find solutions to existing conflicts, prevent new conflicts from emerging, and tackle the root causes of involuntary migration; (C)to increase support for the efforts of the UNHCR and advance the work of nongovernmental organizations to protect refugees and asylum seekers regardless of their country of origin, race, ethnicity, or religious beliefs; (D)to increase efforts to alleviate pressures, through humanitarian and development assistance, on frontline refugee host countries that absorb the majority of the world’s refugees, while effectively advocating for refugee well-being, including access to education and livelihoods; (E)to meaningfully include refugees and displaced populations in creating and achieving the policy solutions affecting them; (F)to respond to the global refugee crisis by meeting robust refugee admissions goals; (G) to implement the United States pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva in December 2023 to expand refugee protection; (H)to address barriers faced by refugees with disabilities by ensuring accessible infrastructure and the availability of disability-related services and social protection schemes; and (I) to reaffirm the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterate the United States strong commitment to protect refugees and asylum seekers who live without adequate material, social, or legal protections.