[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 140 (Thursday, August 6, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5288-S5289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 674--COMMEMORATING JUNE 20, 2020, AS WORLD REFUGEE 
                                  DAY

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. Leahy) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 674

       Whereas World Refugee Day is a global event to acknowledge 
     the courage, strength, and determination of women, men, and 
     children who are forced to flee their homes due to 
     persecution;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations High Commissioner 
     for Refugees (referred to in this preamble as ``UNHCR'') and 
     section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1101(a)(42)), as added by section 201 of the Refugee 
     Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-212), a refugee is a person who--
       (1) is outside of the country of his or her nationality or 
     habitual residence; and
       (2) is unable or unwilling to return because of a well-
     founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, 
     nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular 
     social group;
       Whereas, according to the UNHCR, at the end of 2019--
       (1) there were at least 79,500,000 forcibly displaced 
     people worldwide, which is the worst displacement crisis in 
     recorded history, including--
          (A) 29,600,000 refugees;
          (B) more than 45,700,000 internally displaced people; 
     and
          (C) 4,200,000 asylum seekers;
       (2) 1 person out of every 97 people worldwide was a 
     refugee, an asylum seeker, or an internally displaced person;
       (3) the number of refugees under UNHCR's mandate had 
     doubled since 2010;
       (4) 68 percent of the world's refugees came from only 5 
     countries (Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and 
     Burma);
       (5) 73 percent of all refugees were residing in countries 
     adjacent to the countries from which they had fled;
       (6) approximately 31,000,000 of the people who had been 
     forcibly displaced and 50 percent of all refugees were 
     children younger than 18 years of age, millions of whom were 
     unable to access basic services, including education;
       (7) approximately 11,000,000 people were newly displaced 
     due to recent conflict or persecution, including 8,600,000 
     internally displaced persons and 2,400,000 refugees and 
     asylum seekers, representing an average of at least 30,000 
     such people per day;
       (8) more than 50 percent of the population of Syria (at 
     least 13,000,000 people) were displaced, either across the 
     international border or within Syria, which represents the 
     largest displacement crisis in the world today;
       (9) more than 1,400,000 refugees needed resettlement to a 
     third country (an 80 percent increase since 2011), while only 
     107,800 refugees were resettled to a total of 26 countries; 
     and
       (10) only 317,200 refugees voluntarily returned to their 
     country or place of origin, which represents fewer than 2 
     percent of the 20,400,000 refugees under UNHCR's mandate;
       Whereas millions of refugees around the world are stateless 
     (not recognized as nationals by any state) and therefore 
     require a path to citizenship as part of any solution to 
     their displacement;
       Whereas refugee children are 5 times more likely to be out 
     of school than non-refugee children;
       Whereas refugees who are women and girls are often at 
     greater risk of violence, human trafficking, exploitation, 
     and gender-based violence;
       Whereas more than 50 percent of refugees reside in urban 
     areas;
       Whereas 85 percent of refugees and asylum seekers reside in 
     developing countries, which places enormous additional 
     pressure on the already limited resources of those countries;
       Whereas the average length of time refugees remain 
     displaced from their home country ranges between 10 and 26 
     years;
       Whereas while refugee resettlement is a critical solution 
     for refugees, fewer than 10 percent of global resettlement 
     needs have been met and global refugee resettlement 
     opportunities have fallen by 50 percent since 2016;
       Whereas the United States resettlement program, which was 
     established 40 years ago--
       (1) is a lifesaving solution crucial to global humanitarian 
     efforts;
       (2) strengthens global security;
       (3) advances United States foreign policy goals;
       (4) supports regional host countries; and
       (5) assists individuals and families in need;
       Whereas the United States annual refugee admissions ceiling 
     fell from 85,000 in fiscal year 2016 to 18,000 in fiscal year 
     2020, which represents the lowest level in the history of the 
     program;
       Whereas, as of June 19, 2020 (9 months into fiscal year 
     2020), the United States had welcomed only 7,684 refugees 
     into the country, which is fewer than 50 percent of the 
     President's 18,000 refugee admissions ceiling;
       Whereas, at this pace, the United States will not meet its 
     fiscal year 2020 refugee admissions goal;
       Whereas, for fiscal year 2020, the United States, 
     irrespective of global resettlement needs, designated new 
     thematic and regional allocations for United States refugee 
     admissions that prioritize--
       (1) refugees fleeing persecution on account of religious 
     persecution;
       (2) Iraqis; and
       (3) refugees from Central America;
       Whereas refugees are the most vetted travelers to enter the 
     United States and are subject to extensive screening checks 
     that may last between 18 months and 3 years, including in-
     person interviews, biometric data checks, and multiple 
     interagency reviews;
       Whereas refugees--
       (1) are major contributors to local economies;
       (2) pay an average of $21,000 more in taxes than they 
     receive in benefits; and
       (3) revitalize cities and towns by--
          (A) offsetting population decline; and
          (B) boosting economic growth by opening businesses, 
     paying taxes, and buying homes;
       Whereas certain industries and towns rely heavily on 
     refugee workers to support their economic stability, and low 
     rates of arrivals of refugees have had serious impacts on 
     economic growth; and
       Whereas, during the COVID-19 pandemic--
       (1) refugees, internally displaced persons, and asylum 
     seekers, many of whom live in dangerously overcrowded 
     settings and have inadequate access to basic services like 
     healthcare, water, and sanitation, are especially vulnerable 
     to the spread of the novel coronavirus;
       (2) well-intentioned government polices to mitigate the 
     spread of the novel coronavirus may exacerbate inequalities 
     and disproportionately impact those already suffering from 
     conflict and persecution;
       (3) UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration 
     suspended their international refugee resettlement operations 
     for 3 months, which negatively affected at least 10,000 
     refugees who were already approved for travel to their 
     respective countries of resettlement;
       (4) numerous countries have restricted access to asylum, 
     including the United States, which summarily returned more 
     than 40,000 asylum seekers gathered at the southern United 
     States border back to Mexico and only permitted 2 individuals 
     to remain in the United States to request humanitarian 
     protection between March 21 and May 13, 2020; and
       (5) many refugees are serving as critical frontline health 
     professionals and essential workers combating the COVID-19 
     pandemic in the United States and other host countries: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United 
     States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of 
     millions of refugees, including the education of refugee 
     children and displaced persons who flee war, persecution, or 
     torture in search of peace, hope, and freedom;
       (2) recognizes those individuals who have risked their 
     lives working, either individually or for nongovernmental 
     organizations and international agencies, such as UNHCR, to 
     provide lifesaving assistance and protection for people 
     displaced by conflicts around the world;
       (3) underscores the importance of the United States refugee 
     resettlement program as a critical tool for the United States 
     Government--
       (A) to leverage foreign policy;
       (B) to strengthen national and regional security; and
       (C) to demonstrate international support of refugees;
       (4) calls upon the United States Government--
       (A) to continue providing robust funding for refugee 
     protection overseas and resettlement in the United States;
       (B) to uphold its international leadership role in 
     responding to displacement crises with humanitarian 
     assistance and protection of the most vulnerable populations;
       (C) to work in partnership with the international community 
     to find solutions to existing conflicts and prevent new 
     conflicts from beginning;
       (D) to ensure that--
       (i) the United States refugee resettlement program is 
     equipped to protect and support refugees; and
       (ii) the United States provides essential leadership to the 
     international refugee assistance community and to local 
     communities across the United States seeking to welcome 
     refugees and to help them achieve the American dream;
       (E) to alleviate the burden placed on frontline refugee 
     host countries, such as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the 
     People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Republic of Uganda, the 
     Republic of Colombia, and the Federal Democratic Republic of 
     Ethiopia, which receive the majority of the world's refugees, 
     and provide these countries with humanitarian and development 
     support;
       (F) to endorse the Global Compact for Refugees, affirmed by 
     the United Nations General Assembly on December 17, 2018, and 
     join

[[Page S5289]]

     the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, 
     done in Morocco July 11, 2018;
       (G) to terminate harmful policies that undermine refugee 
     law and humanitarian principles, including--
       (i) the closure of the United States border to asylum 
     seekers;
       (ii) the Migrant Protection Protocols, implemented 
     beginning on January 29, 2019; and
       (iii) the Asylum Cooperative Agreements signed with 
     Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador in 2019;
       (H) to adopt a robust and inclusive interpretation of 
     United States refugee law that takes into account the changed 
     nature of conflict and persecution and increase complementary 
     legal pathways for protection and entry into the United 
     States;
       (I) to meet the challenges of the worst refugee crisis in 
     recorded history by--
       (i) restoring United States leadership on refugee 
     resettlement; and
       (ii) increasing the number of refugees welcomed to and 
     resettled in the United States to--

       (I) not fewer than 18,000 refugees during fiscal year 2020; 
     and
       (II) not fewer than 95,000 refugees during fiscal year 
     2021; and

       (J) to restore the United States' longstanding tradition of 
     resettling the most vulnerable refugees and to avoid 
     discrimination, including discrimination based on a refugee's 
     nationality or religious beliefs; and
       (5) reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day and reiterates 
     the strong commitment to protect the millions of refugees who 
     live without material, social, or legal protections.

                          ____________________