[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4182-S4184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 743--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
Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr.
Coons, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr.
Kaine, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr.
Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Van
Hollen, Mr. Welch, Mr. Wyden, and Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations:
S. Res. 743
Whereas June 20, 2024 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, 2024 is the 73rd anniversary of the
adoption of the Convention relating to the Status of
Refugees, held at Geneva on July 28, 1951, which defines the
term ``refugee'' and outlines the rights of refugees and the
legal obligations of nation states to protect such rights;
Whereas in 2024, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (referred to in this resolution as ``UNHCR'')
reported that--
(1) at the end of 2023, there were more than 117,000,000
displaced people who had been forced from their homes
worldwide, which is more displaced people than at any other
time in recorded history, including more than 31,600,000
refugees, 6,900,000 asylum seekers, and 68,300,000 internally
displaced persons;
(2) 75 percent of all refugees worldwide are hosted in low-
and middle-income countries and fewer than 1 percent of
refugees are ever resettled;
(3) 73 percent of the world's refugees originate from 5
countries, namely Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, and
Sudan;
(4) more than 50 percent of the population of Syria
(approximately 13,800,000 people) have been displaced since
the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, either exiting
Syria across an international border or going to other areas
within Syria;
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(5) as of June 2024, 9,700,000 Ukrainians are displaced as
a result of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which is an
estimated \1/6\ of Ukraine's pre-war population, including
more than 6,400,000 Ukrainian refugees;
(6) there are an estimated 6,400,000 Afghan refugees around
the world, of whom 90 percent are hosted in either Iran or
Pakistan;
(7) Latin America and the Caribbean currently host 84
percent of the more than 7,000,000 Venezuelan refugees and
migrants globally, and the Americas currently host
approximately 20,000,000 refugees, asylum-seekers, and
stateless people from around the world;
(8) as of June 2024, more than 9,000,000 people are
displaced due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, including
nearly 2,000,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring
countries, many of whom are women or children;
(9) as of May 2024, more than 360,000 people were
internally displaced in Haiti due to widespread violence in
the prior year;
(10) between October 2023 and June 2024, approximately 75
percent of the population of Gaza (approximately 1,700,000
people) have been internally displaced;
(11) as of April 2024, there were approximately 6,800,000
internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo as a result of violence between armed groups;
(12) as of May 2024, nearly 1,000,000 Rohingya refugees
resided in Bangladesh, with thousands more refugees
throughout the region, and an estimated 45,000 newly
displaced Rohingya people fled to the border of Burma and
Bangladesh in 2024 amidst renewed violence in Rakhine State,
with the potential for increased refugee flows in the coming
months as violence continues; and
(13) as of May 2024, in the Sahel region, which encompasses
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, nearly 4,800,000 people have
been forced to flee their homes;
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
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 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 through the United States Refugee Admissions
Program--
(1) the number of refugees who have arrived in the United
States increased from only 11,411 during fiscal year 2021 to
60,014 during fiscal year 2023;
(2) as of May 31, 2024, more than 60,000 refugees had
arrived in the United States during fiscal year 2024; and
(3) the Biden Administration continues to actively pursue
its stated goal of 125,000 refugee admissions during fiscal
year 2024;
Whereas refugee resettlement organizations, businesses, and
other community and faith-based groups offer support for
refugees who resettle in the United States, and groups of
private citizens are now supporting newly arrived refugees
through Welcome Corps, the refugee sponsorship initiative
under the United States Refugee Admissions Program;
Whereas, between 2005 and 2019, refugees and asylees in the
United States contributed an estimated $581,000,000,000 in
total revenue across all levels of government;
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; and
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: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(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; and
(6) 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 strengthening its leadership role in the
protection of vulnerable refugee populations that endure
gender-based violence, torture, human trafficking,
persecution, and 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 continue supporting 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 continue 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.
Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, today on World Refugee Day, I am here to
honor the tens of millions of people worldwide who have been forced to
flee their homes. World Refugee Day was first held in June of 2001 to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention and to
shine a light on the needs and rights of refugees while giving voice to
their aspirations.
At that time, in 2001, the number of forcibly displaced persons
globally was close to 20 million. Today that number stands at 120
million people, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency. This staggering
figure, the highest in recorded history, means that 1.5 percent of the
entire world's population has been forced to flee their homes as a
result of persecution, conflict, violence, or natural disasters like
drought, crop failures, or famine.
In the past 10 years, the number of forcibly displaced persons has
more than doubled as new conflicts have arisen and longstanding crises
have gone unresolved, made worse by the impacts of climate change, food
insecurity, and poverty.
Of this 120 million, there are more than 31 million refugees who have
crossed international borders to seek safety in another country--31
million people who are not safe from prosecution in their own country
of origin. There are more than 68 million internally displaced persons,
the majority of whom are women and children, forced from their homes
but still within the country's borders.
In every region of the world, we see people pushed from their homes:
in the Sudan, where the brutal and altogether avoidable conflict
between the Rapid
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Support Forces and Sudan Armed Forces has forced more than 9 million
people to flee their homes, and without a ceasefire and sustainable
peace agreement, these numbers will only continue to grow; in Ukraine,
where Putin's illegal full-scale invasion has pushed nearly 10 million
Ukrainians from their homes, including more than 6 million refugees; in
Gaza, where approximately 75 percent of the population--1.7 million
people--has been displaced and displaced multiple times since last
October; and in Haiti, where widespread violence has uprooted more than
360,000 people in the past year.
Even as crises fades from the headlines, the impact to people's lives
do not: for nearly 14 million displaced Syrians representing over half
the country's population to the estimated 6.5 million Afghan refugees
around the world, to the more than 6 million Venezuelan refugees, the
long tail of conflict and crisis has left millions displaced year after
year.
Behind every number is a story of a life uprooted, but there is also
a story of courage, of resilience and hope for a brighter future, the
hope of a refugee mother for her child to receive an education, the
hope of a refugee woman to someday become a doctor, the hope of a
family caught in the crosshairs of war to return to their homes and
live in peace.
Achieving this brighter future requires urgent and sustained support
from the United States and the international community. Massive cuts
proposed by House colleagues to the Migration and Refugee Assistance
accounts for fiscal year 2025 would turn our back and imperil the lives
of those most at risk.
That is why this day I will be introducing, along with 21 of my
Senate colleagues, a resolution reaffirming the importance of promoting
the safety, health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons in
the United States and around the world.
This means upholding the long history of the United States welcoming
people from around the world who have been oppressed and persecuted.
Our U.S. Refugee Admission Program, established in 1980, remains a
lifesaving pillar for resettling the most vulnerable refugees.
It means further tapping into the deep generosity of Americans, as
demonstrated by the U.S. Government's welcome tour through which
private citizens are supporting newly arrived refugees themselves.
It means supporting host communities, particularly in low- and
middle-income countries, where 75 percent of all refugees are hosted
while advocating for refugee inclusion. It means continuing U.S.
leadership by the State Department, USAID, and NGO partners in
responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance and
protection for forcibly displaced persons that are at risk of gender-
based violence, human trafficking, and other human rights abuses.
It means working in partnership with the international community to
resolve conflicts, to address climate change that is destroying lands
and livelihoods, and to hold human rights abusers accountable so that
people can return to their homes.
In taking these steps, we will not only uplift the lives of
vulnerable people around the world, we will also promote regional
stability and strengthen U.S. national security.
So on World Refugee Day, let us all join together to mitigate the
causes that have forced refugees to leave their homes and help these
individuals who are displaced to have an opportunity for a peaceful
future.
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