Statement of the Refugee Advocacy Lab: Submitted to the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety
Hearing: “Living Up to America’s Promise: The Need to Bolster the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program”
March 22, 2023
Introduction
Thank you for the opportunity to submit a statement for this timely hearing.
There has never been a more urgent time for a robust U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has reported that a record-breaking 103 million people are now forcibly displaced worldwide, 32.5 million of whom are registered as refugees. More than half of those registered are children. The United Nations estimates that more than 2 million people will be in urgent need of resettlement this year—a 36 percent increase from 2022.
Since establishing the U.S. refugee program in 1980, the United States has been a global leader in welcoming people seeking safety, and until recent years we resettled the largest number of refugees annually. Unfortunately, in FY 2021, the United States resettled the lowest number of people in the history of the refugee program. And while the Biden administration set a laudable goal of resettling 125,000 people in FY 2022, only 25,465 refugees were admitted. This is a disservice not only to America’s commitment to be a beacon of safety and hope, but to the thousands of communities across the country who have seen how welcoming refugees enrich the United States.
Americans support refugee resettlement. In a recent poll conducted by the Refugee Advocacy Lab and Data for Progress, we found that 70 percent of likely voters across demographics and party lines believe that the United States should have a refugee resettlement program. That support jumps to 89 percent for voters who personally know a refugee.
Accepting refugees is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing. Refugees have invigorated our economies, brought innovation, and strengthened our communities through their contributions to our public life and cultural institutions. In 2019, 96 percent of refugees across America were employed, paid more than $26 billion in taxes, and held more than $73 billion in spending power. As communities across the United States struggle with labor shortages, aging populations, and other challenges, welcoming refugees is a much-needed boon to our economy. It is in the best interest of the American people, and our reputation globally, to renew and rebuild our commitment to resettling refugees.
Rebuild the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
The U.S. government must rapidly strengthen refugee reception capabilities in order to meet our goal of resettling 125,000 people this fiscal year—no small feat given that four months into the year we’ve resettled fewer than 15,000 people. Resettlement offers refugees an important permanent pathway to safety. The recent pivot by the United States towards offering temporary pathways over resettlement, as we observed in the U.S. evacuation of Afghans and the Uniting for Ukraine program, for example, is the direct result of an underfunded resettlement process that cannot adequately scale-up during emergencies. While humanitarian parole is an important tool, it should not replace American investment in our resettlement program.
Implement a National Refugee and Immigrant Welcoming and Inclusion Strategy
Through our work at the state and local level with refugee communities, resettlement agencies, elected leaders, and many other stakeholders working to advance inclusive policies, the Refugee Advocacy Lab is familiar with the barriers facing refugees as they seek to rebuild their lives in their new communities. The refugee resettlement program has traditionally prioritized self-sufficiency within the first three months post-arrival, overlooking the longer-term strategy needed to ensure newcomers have the tools and pathways they need to fully integrate and thrive in their new homes. While some states have stepped in to create policies, programs, and funding that focus on long-term integration, Congress and the administration should do more to ensure refugees can realize their full potential.
The Lab has been pleased to engage with the re-established federal Task Force on New Americans to think through solutions to ensure when people come here they have a pathway to success. Establishing a National Office for New Americans to implement a federal inclusion strategy to welcome refugees and other newcomers to this nation is a pivotal first step. A whole-of-government approach must be taken to ensure refugees and immigrants are able to access programs, services, and opportunities needed for them to succeed. Such a strategy must be developed with input from refugees and displaced people themselves, as well as state and local officials, immigrant advocacy organizations, business leaders, and other community-based groups and individuals.
Remove Unnecessary Barriers to Workforce Integration and Education
As part of a national strategy, Congress and the administration should seek to introduce and pass legislation that reduces barriers to workforce participation and access to education. The Lab applauds the recent passage of the Bridging the Gap for New Americans Act as an important first step towards examining these barriers.
Many refugees and immigrants come to this country with valuable work and educational experience that could fill critical labor shortages in the United States, from healthcare providers and teachers to STEM fields. However, many highly qualified workers are unable to practice in their fields in the United States without meeting requirements that are onerous, time-consuming, and expensive—and in some cases unrelated to their competency. Health workers, for example, who obtained their credentials in another country often have to repeat years of graduate medical training. They also have to undergo lengthy and costly credential evaluation processes, and meet English language proficiency requirements that do not reflect the language skills needed on the job. In addition, refugees who seek higher education opportunities to improve their career prospects can lose access to resettlement benefits, a harmful policy that should be repealed.
Recommendations:
As a record-breaking refugee crisis unfolds globally, we have a chance to affirm U.S. leadership and our commitments to the world and to this nation by welcoming refugees into our communities. To maintain its status as a global leader, the United States must ensure that the talents of refugees and immigrants are not wasted, by taking the following actions:
Immediately investing to rebuild the capacity of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and ensuring refugees have expanded post-arrival support to access housing, education, English and adult education programming, medical and mental healthcare, and other services essential to their successful integration.
Developing a national welcoming and inclusion strategy and establishing a National Office of New Americans, with regular input from refugees and displaced people, state and local governments, immigrant advocacy organizations, business leaders, and other community-based groups and individuals.
Passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would allow certain Afghan evacuees to have an opportunity to apply to become lawful permanent residents – the same legal status they would have received had they been admitted as refugees. Afghans who arrived since August of 2021 are already contributing their relevant professional skills to high demand U.S. industries–from engineering to healthcare–in communities across the country, and have the potential to contribute over $1.4 billion in annual earnings.
Passing the Refugee Protection Act (reintroduction forthcoming), which would restore and strengthen the refugee resettlement program and asylum protections. The bill would also expand protections to those who have assisted U.S. troops and immigrant children and families.
Passing the New Deal for New Americans Act (reintroduction forthcoming), which would establish a National Office of New Americans, reduce barriers to naturalization, invest in immigrant and refugee workforce development, and improve access to legal services, English language courses, and other services.
About the Refugee Advocacy Lab
The Refugee Advocacy Lab is an initiative hosted at Refugees International and co-founded with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Refugee Congress. The Lab's mission is to grow the movement for U.S. leadership on refugee protection and inclusion. Centered in the perspective and leadership of displaced people themselves, we support the advocacy community by developing strategic communications resources, championing inclusive policies, and building capacity for the field.