[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 40 (Monday, October 8, 2007)]
[Pages 1281-1282]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Presidential Determination on FY 2008 Refugee Admissions Numbers and 
Authorizations of In-Country Refugee Status

October 2, 2007

 Presidential Determination No. 2008-1

Memorandum for the Secretary of State


Subject: Presidential Determination on FY 2008 Refugee Admissions 
Numbers and Authorizations of In-Country Refugee Status Pursuant to 
Sections 207 and 101(a)(42), respectively, of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, and Determination Pursuant to Section 2(b)(2) of the 
Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, as Amended

    In accordance with section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (the ``Act'')(8 U.S.C. 1157), as amended, and after appropriate 
consultations with the Congress, I hereby make the following 
determinations and authorize the following actions:
    The admission of up to 80,000 refugees to the United States during 
FY 2008 is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the 
national interest; provided, however, that this number shall be 
understood as including persons admitted to the United States during FY 
2008 with Federal refugee resettlement assistance under the Amerasian 
immigrant admissions program, as provided below. The ceiling shall be 
construed as a maximum not to be exceeded and not a minimum to be 
achieved.
    The 80,000 admissions numbers shall be allocated among refugees of 
special humanitarian concern to the United States in accordance with the 
following regional allocations; provided, however, that the number of 
admissions allocated to the East Asia region shall include persons 
admitted to the United States during FY 2008 with Federal refugee 
resettlement assistance under section 584 of the Foreign Operations, 
Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 1988, as 
contained in section 101(e) of Public Law 100-202 (Amerasian immigrants 
and their family members):

    Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 16,000

    East Asia . . . . . . . . . 20,000

    Europe and Central Asia . . 3,000

    Latin America/Caribbean . . 3,000

    Near East/South Asia . . . . 28,000

    Unallocated Reserve . . . . 10,000

    The 10,000 unallocated refugee numbers shall be allocated to 
regional ceilings as needed. Upon providing notification to the 
Judiciary Committees of the Congress, you are hereby authorized to use 
unallocated admissions in regions where the need for additional 
admissions arises.

    Additionally, upon notification to the Judiciary Committees of the 
Congress, you are further authorized to transfer unused admissions 
allocated to a particular region to one or more other regions, if there 
is a need for greater admissions for the region or regions to which the 
admissions are being transferred. Consistent with section 2(b)(2) of the 
Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, as amended, I hereby 
determine that assistance to or on behalf of persons applying for 
admission to the United States as part of the overseas refugee 
admissions program will contribute to the foreign policy interests of 
the United States and designate such persons for this purpose.

    Consistent with section 101(a)(42) of the Act (8 U.S.C. 
1101(a)(42)), and after appropriate consultation with the Congress, I 
also specify that, for FY 2008, the following persons may, if otherwise 
qualified, be considered refugees for the purpose of admission to the 
United States within their countries of nationality or habitual 
residence:

 a.          Persons in Vietnam

 b.          Persons in Cuba

 c.          Persons in the former Soviet Union

 d.          In exceptional circumstances, persons identified by a 
            United States Embassy in any location

    You are authorized and directed to report this determination to the 
Congress immediately and to publish it in the Federal Register.
                                                George W. Bush

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