[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 17 (Monday, January 28, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S701]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 32--RECOGNIZING JANUARY 27, 2019, AS THE ANNIVERSARY 
   OF THE FIRST REFUGEE AND MUSLIM BAN, AND URGING THE PRESIDENT TO 
          DEMONSTRATE TRUE LEADERSHIP ON REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Mr. Carper, Mr. Markey, Ms. Hirono, Ms. 
Harris, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Cantwell, 
Ms. Smith, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Booker, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Durbin, and Ms. 
Duckworth) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                               S. Res. 32

       Whereas the world is in the midst of the worst global 
     displacement crisis in history, with more than 25,400,000 
     refugees worldwide, according to estimates from the United 
     Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred to in this 
     Resolution as ``UNHCR'');
       Whereas UNHCR estimated that nearly 1,200,000 refugees were 
     in need of resettlement to a third country in 2018, and this 
     projection continues to grow in 2019;
       Whereas the United States Refugee Admissions Program 
     (referred to in this Resolution as ``USRAP'') is a life-
     saving solution critical to global humanitarian efforts, 
     which--
       (1) strengthens global security;
       (2) leverages United States foreign policy goals;
       (3) supports regional host countries; and
       (4) serves individuals and families in need;
       Whereas the United States has been a global leader in--
       (1) responding to displacement crises around the world; and
       (2) promoting the safety, health, and well-being of 
     refugees and displaced persons;
       Whereas refugees are the most vetted travelers to enter the 
     United States and are subject to extensive screening checks, 
     including in person interviews, biometric data checks, and 
     multiple interagency checks;
       Whereas the United States leverages resettlement to 
     encourage other countries--
       (1) to keep their doors open to refugees;
       (2) to allow refugee children to attend school; and
       (3) to allow refugee adults to work;
       Whereas refugees contribute to their communities by 
     starting businesses, paying taxes, sharing their cultural 
     traditions, and being good neighbors;
       Whereas refugees contribute more to society than they 
     consume in State-funded services, including costs relating to 
     schooling and health care;
       Whereas, for more than 40 years the United States resettled 
     up to 200,000 refugees per year, with an average ceiling of 
     95,000 refugees per year, and an average of 80,000 refugees 
     per year actually being resettled in the United States;
       Whereas the United States has abdicated its leadership by 
     setting a record low refugee admissions goal in fiscal year 
     2019 of 30,000;
       Whereas, on January 27, 2017, President Donald J. Trump 
     issued Executive Order 13769, which placed a 90-day 
     suspension on the admission into the United States of 
     individuals from 7 Muslim-majority countries and suspended 
     USRAP for 120 days; and
       Whereas, since issuing that executive order, President 
     Trump has taken further executive and administrative 
     actions--
       (1) to restrict the admission into the United States of 
     people from certain Muslim-majority countries; and
       (2) to dismantle USRAP, which has lowered the capacity of, 
     and diminished the institutional memory and experience in, 
     USRAP:
       Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms our Nation's proud history of refugee 
     resettlement;
       (2) recognizes January 27, 2019, as the 2nd anniversary of 
     the executive order that suspended the admission of refugees 
     and individuals from specified Muslim-majority countries;
       (3) reaffirms the strong bipartisan commitment of the 
     United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being 
     of refugees, including by facilitating the resettlement in 
     the United States of refugees who cannot safely return to 
     their homes or rebuild their lives in countries from which 
     they fled to preserve their lives;
       (4) emphasizes the importance of USRAP as a critical tool 
     for United States global leadership;
       (5) recognizes the profound consequences faced by refugees 
     and their families who have been stranded, separated, and 
     scarred by existing United States refugee policies, which 
     have stranded many refugees who were in the middle of the 
     refugee resettlement process and have left other refugees 
     with little hope of anticipated entry into the United States; 
     and
       (6) calls upon the United States Government--
       (A) to resettle a robust number of refugees to meet its 
     share of the global need during fiscal years 2019 and 2020, 
     with an emphasis on rebuilding USRAP and returning to 
     historic levels of refugee admissions;
       (B) to operate USRAP in good faith in order to meet the 
     stated objectives of the program and to restore historic 
     levels of refugee arrivals;
       (C) to uphold its international leadership role in 
     responding to displacement crises with humanitarian 
     assistance and protection of the most vulnerable populations;
       (D) to improve consultation with Congress and adherence to 
     the clear congressional intent of the Refugee Act of 1980; 
     and
       (E) to recommit to offering freedom from oppression and 
     resettling the most vulnerable refugees regardless of their 
     country of origin or religious beliefs.

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