[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1195 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1195
Reaffirming the importance of the United States to promote the safety,
health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 21, 2022
Mr. Lieu (for himself, Ms. Adams, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lee
of California, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Correa, Mr. Johnson of
Georgia, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Rush, Mr. Suozzi,
Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Pocan, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Trone,
Ms. Jacobs of California, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Grijalva, Mr.
Smith of Washington, Mr. Peters, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Khanna, Ms.
Schakowsky, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. Bass, Ms. Johnson of Texas,
Ms. DelBene, Mr. Kind, Mr. Connolly, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr.
Schneider, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Speier, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Ms.
Pressley, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Kilmer, Ms.
Bonamici, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Sires, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Jones, Ms.
McCollum, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Evans, Mr.
San Nicolas, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Meng, Ms. Jayapal,
Ms. Titus, Mr. Bera, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Garcia
of Texas, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Newman,
and Ms. Matsui) submitted the following resolution; which was referred
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee
on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the importance of the United States to promote the safety,
health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons.
Whereas June 20, 2022, is observed as ``World Refugee Day'', a global event to
honor refugees around the globe and celebrate the strengths and courage
of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape
conflict or persecution due to their race, religion, nationality,
political opinion, or membership in a particular social group;
Whereas July 28, 2022, is the 71st anniversary of the Convention Relating to the
Status of Refugees, held in Geneva on July 28, 1951, which defines the
term ``refugee'' and outlines the rights of refugees and the legal
obligations of States to protect them;
Whereas, in 2022, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)--
(1) there are more than 100,000,000 displaced people who have been
forced from their homes worldwide, more than any time in recorded history,
including over 27,100,000 refugees and at least 53,200,000 internally
displaced people as of the end of 2021;
(2) 66 percent of the world's refugees came from Syria, Venezuela,
Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Burma;
(3) there have been more than 7,500,000 border crossings from Ukraine
since February 24, 2022, with nearly 5,000,000 having been recorded as
refugees across Europe as of June 9, 2022, and nearly 12,800,000 people
were internally displaced in Ukraine as of May 5, 2022;
(4) there are 2,700,000 registered Afghan refugees in the world, of
whom nearly 2,100,000 are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone, in
addition to another 3,500,000 people who are internally displaced, having
fled their homes in search of refuge within the country;
(5) more than 50 percent of the population of Syria, at least
13,500,000 people, have been displaced since the start of the conflict,
either across the international border or within Syria, which represents
the largest displacement crisis in the world today;
(6) 1 in 4 people of concern to UNHCR lives in the Americas, up from 1
in 6 in 2018;
(7) over 6,000,000 Venezuelans have fled the country, representing the
largest exodus in Latin America's recent history and one of the largest
displacement crises in the world;
(8) children account for 31 percent of the world's population and 41
percent of all forcibly displaced people, millions of whom are unable to
access basic services, including education; and
(9) 83 percent of all refugees are hosted by developing nations, and
fewer than 1 percent of vulnerable refugees in need of resettlement have
had the opportunity due to lack of resettlement places;
Whereas thousands of immigrant neighbors in the United States, including people
from Ethiopia, Cameroon, Haiti, Mauritania, and South Sudan, face harm
if deported to their home countries due to violent crime and political
instability;
Whereas refugees are major contributors to local economies and serve as critical
frontline health care professionals and essential workers combating the
COVID-19 pandemic worldwide;
Whereas welcoming the oppressed and persecuted is a core tenet of this great
Nation, and the United States is home to a diverse population of
refugees and immigrants who have added to the economic strengths and
cultural richness of United States communities;
Whereas, consistent with domestic and international law, all foreign nationals
arriving in the United States, regardless of their nationality, must be
given an opportunity to seek asylum;
Whereas the United States must restore a humane and functioning asylum system in
order to meet its obligations under domestic and international law with
respect to those fleeing persecution;
Whereas the United States supports the UNHCR in its efforts to increase
protection for LGBTQI+ refugees overseas and to support their global
resettlement;
Whereas the United States Refugee Admissions Program, which was established over
40 years ago, is a lifesaving pillar of global humanitarian efforts,
advances United States foreign policy goals, and supports regional host
countries;
Whereas resettlement is an essential part of a comprehensive strategy to respond
to refugee crises, promote responsibility sharing, and strengthen United
States national security by ensuring access to legal migration pathways;
Whereas the infrastructure for the United States refugee resettlement pipeline
has been dismantled, limiting access to the United States Refugee
Admissions Program globally;
Whereas, for the first time in recent history, following the destruction of the
United States refugee resettlement pipeline, large numbers of desperate
migrants from as far as Cameroon and Ukraine have sought refuge from
persecution at the United States-Mexico border;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2021, the United States only resettled 11,500 refugees,
the lowest figure since the passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, and as
of May 31, 2022, the United States has only resettled 12,641 refugees in
fiscal year 2022;
Whereas, as of May 31, 2022, in fiscal year 2022, only 5,070 refugees were
admitted from Africa, only 1,296 from Latin America and the Caribbean;
and only 1,060 from East Asia;
Whereas resettlement organizations, as well as other community and faith-based
groups, offer support for refugees who resettle in the United States;
Whereas resettlement to the United States is available for the most vulnerable
refugees who undergo a rigorous security vetting and medical screening
process;
Whereas, according to New American Economy, between 2005 and 2014, refugees
contributed an estimated $269,100,000,000 to the national economy, far
surpassing the $206,100,000,000 spent by the United States to assist
refugees; and
Whereas refugees integrate and quickly become self-sufficient by paying taxes,
supporting local commerce, joining the workforce, and creating jobs:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) 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 who flee
war, persecution, or torture in search of protection, 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 the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to provide
lifesaving assistance and protection for people displaced
around the world;
(3) reaffirms the imperative to fully restore United States
asylum protections by terminating policies that deny access to
asylum or externalize United States asylum obligations;
(4) underscores the need for the United States Government
to fully rebuild the Nation's refugee resettlement
infrastructure in order to strengthen national and regional
security and encourage international solidarity with host
countries; and
(5) calls upon the Secretary of State, the Secretary of
Homeland Security, and the United States Ambassador to the
United Nations to--
(A) continue providing robust funding for refugee
protection overseas and resettlement in the United
States;
(B) revive the United States international
leadership role in responding to displacement crises
with humanitarian assistance, and restore its
leadership role in the protection of vulnerable refugee
populations that endure gender-based violence, human
trafficking, persecution and violence against religious
minorities, forced conscription, genocide, and
exploitation;
(C) work in partnership with the international
community to find solutions to existing conflicts and
prevent new conflicts from beginning;
(D) 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;
(E) continue to alleviate pressures on frontline
refugee host countries that absorb the majority of the
world's refugees through humanitarian and development
aid;
(F) respond to the global refugee crisis by meeting
robust refugee admissions goals; and
(G) reaffirm the goals of ``World Refugee Day'' and
reiterate the strong commitment to protect refugees and
asylum seekers who live without material, social, or
legal protections.
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