United States Refugee Admissions Program

The United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) is an interagency effort involving a number of governmental and non-governmental partners both overseas and in the U.S. designed “to offer resettlement opportunities to persons overseas who are of special humanitarian concern, while protecting national security and combating fraud.” The program specifically targets those who have fled their country because of past or future persecution. “Program objectives include arranging for refugees' placement by ensuring that approved refugees are sponsored and offered appropriate assistance upon arrival in the U.S., providing refugees with basic necessities and core services during their initial resettlement period, and promoting refugee self-sufficiency through employment as soon as possible after arrival in the U.S. in coordination with other refugee service and assistance programs.”

History

Precursors. The United States Refugee Admissions Program originated from the Refugee Act of 1980. As United States armed forces prepared to evacuate Southeast Asia at the end of the Vietnam War, millions of refugees were left homeless and vulnerable to persecution from the recently empowered Communist regime. In response, President Gerald Ford signed the Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act to facilitate the relocation and immigration of up to 200,000 displaced persons at a cost of $1 billion. By 1980, the Refugee Act was signed by President Jimmy Carter to establish an official and comprehensive policy for United States refugee immigration. The Refugee Act defined a refugee as, “a person outside of his or her country or nationality who is unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution.” Carter's policy inspired the creation of USRAP.

United States Refugee Admissions Program. The USRAP is a constantly evolving program. Though it has not been officially revised since the Refugee Act of 1980, the procedures for implementation have changed from year to year, creating inconsistencies between the projected ceiling and the actual number of refugees admitted. For example, just over 56,000 refugees were admitted in 2011 although the ceiling was set at 80,000. This gap can be explained by changes in pre-departure checks, introduction of additional security checks, and inconsistent pre-departure orientation or anticipatory planning. The 2012 ceiling is set at 76,000, and officials project they will reach the proposed ceiling.

Defense Authorization Act. At times the nature of refugee admissions has changed according to a shift in political climate. One such example is the Defense Authorization Act, which was signed by 2008 by George Bush and authorized more funding for national defense. One clause of the Act gave “special immigration status for certain Iraqi aliens,” facilitating the immigration for Iraqis who provided special services to the United States, offering resettlement aid and entitlement programs. This again shows how USRAP procedures have been inconsistently implemented.

Budget and administration

The total estimated budget of the Refugee Admissions Program for the 2012 fiscal year is $1,064,700,000. The estimated budget is divided among three sectors: refugee processing, refugee admissions, and refugee resettlement. Each of these three budgetary divisions is operated and managed by individual agencies. These agencies provide services and funding for refugees. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services administers refugee processing; the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration administers refugee admissions; the Administration for Children and Families administers refugee resettlement. The estimated budget for the 2012 fiscal year is outlined in Table 1.

Resettlement agencies receive a stipend of $1,875 per refugee from the Department of State’s Reception and Placement Program. This money is given to these resettlement agencies to help refugees settle in the United States. It is used specifically to help with rent, food, clothes, costs of agency staff salaries, and other expenses. In 2011, 56,379 refugees arrived in the United States, compared to 73,311 in 2010. The Table 1 ($ Millions) number of refugees that are accepted to resettle in the U.S. through the USRAP differs every year. Because the estimated funding for the Refugee Admissions Program does not include costs associated with the Unaccompanied Alien Children’s Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, or Supplemental Security Income programs, the actual costs of the Refugee Admissions Program are much higher.

Government agencies

The chief agency USRAP works with at the federal level is the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration, or the PRM. The PRM is in charge of managing foreign USRAP programs, proposing ceilings on refugee admissions, and establishing priorities when processing refugee cases. Along with the PRM, USRAP works closely with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), coordinates health benefits for refugees upon resettlement. The DHS’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reviews applications to determine refugee status, along with reviewing refugee cases. DHS’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “screens arriving refugees for admission at the port of entry.”

Non-profit organizations

USRAP works with a number of entities outside the federal government. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or “the UN Refugee Agency,” keeps tabs on the world refugee situation, and refers resettlement cases to USRAP. Other agencies involve the Resettlement Support Centers (RSC's), and domestic nongovernmental agencies that settle the refugees in the United States and provide them with services. These domestic agencies include the Church World Service, Ethiopian Community Development Council, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services, and World Relief.

Refugee admissions process

The USRAP works within a complex system of U.S. governmental and nongovernmental organizations and foreign organizations to accomplish its goals. The Refugee Affairs Division is the head of the structure and is led by a division chief. The division chief is assisted by the deputy chief who is responsible for five branches including training and quality assurance, security vetting program integrity, policy and regional operations, overseas operations, and domestic operations. The process that each refugee goes through in being admitted to the U.S. highlights some of the organizations that work with USRAP.

Refugee Referral. Refugees are referred to the USRAP by many different organizations. Some applicants are qualified to apply directly to the USRAP if they come from a country or nationality that is designated to have special humanitarian concern. Refugees under these special designations may also be considered for processing priority in the resettlement consideration process. In many cases, officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (a United Nations agency that aims to assist refugees in securing their rights to safety and resettlement) refer refugees to the USRAP. Refugees may also be referred to the USRAP by a U.S. embassy or consulate and by authorized nongovernmental organizations.

Refugee Portfolio. Each refugee has a portfolio which contains important information about the refugee. The portfolios are built and processed by Resettlement Support Centers, which are provided and operated by international organizations and nongovernmental organizations to process refugees who are eligible for resettling in the U.S. The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, provides funding and manages nine such Resource Support Centers around the world. These centers prepare each portfolio by taking photos and collecting biographic, health, and background information on each refugee. They also schedule interviews and request background checks.

Refugee Adjudication. Officials representing the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service then conduct interviews using the information gathered by each Resource Support Center. The interviews are intended to determine whether the refugee is approved for resettlement or not. Once the person has passed the interviews, the refugee goes to a doctor who performs medical exams. These medical exams ensure that the person wanting to enter the United States does not bring with him or her any contagious disease. Once the refugee passes both the medical exam and background checks, the Resource Support Center “sends a request for sponsorship assurance to the U.S.”

Refugee Sponsorship. The Refugee Processing Center handles the requests for sponsorship and works with ten nongovernmental resettlement agencies that accept the different refugee cases, and issue assurances. The sponsoring agency is responsible for ensuring that the refugee has housing, essential furnishings, clothing, food, as well as social, medical, and employment services for the refugee’s first three months in the United States. Before coming to the U.S., the refugee receives a cultural orientation in his or her country.

Major challenges

Division of Authority. Many problems the USRAP encounters aren’t resolved because there is no one governing body that regulates its day-to-day functions. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society adequately expresses this concern: "The USRAP has become the largest and most complex refugee resettlement program in the world. It consists of three federal agencies and their subcomponents, yet no one is charged with coordinating this entity on a full time basis, nor is there any forum in which the partners may address inter-agency operational or policy concerns." Because of this lack of coordination, problems are passed from agency to agency or simultaneously worked on by multiple agencies. This results in confusion and the inability to quickly identify and solve problems. Deficiencies in collaboration are severely hindering potential USRAP successes.

Funding and Resources. Under the USRAP, 1 of 10 resettlement agencies allocates funds to refugees. As mentioned, these agencies provide initial services such as housing, food, clothing, referral to medical services, etc. Since there is no one single agency, there are often discrepancies between states in services provided to refugees. If the USRAP hopes to give all refugees the opportunity to thrive in the United States, this allocation process needs to be consistent for all refugees. Also, a review of each case should be done to account for special factors, such as providing for refugees with special physical or mental needs, and accommodating those who require special certification to work in their professional field in the U.S.

Security. Protecting U.S. citizens is an overwhelming priority for the United States government. However, the USRAP faces challenges in this regard. Reliable background checks for potential refugees can be problematic to obtain as there is a deficiency in accurate government records in many countries. Additionally, many refugees who pose no security threat to the United States are not allowed to participate in the USRAP because of inadequate or false background information. Oftentimes this leaves families separated, which defeats the purpose of the USRAP.