[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 287 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 287
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 18, 2025
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr.
Coons, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms.
Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley,
Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Van
Hollen, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
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.
Whereas June 20, 2025, 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, 2025, is the 74th 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 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred to
in this preamble as ``UNHCR'') reported that as of the end of 2024--
(1) there were more than 123,000,000 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 31,000,000
refugees, 8,400,000 asylum seekers, and 73,500,000 internally displaced
persons;
(2) 73 percent of all refugees worldwide were hosted in low- and
middle-income countries and fewer than 1 percent of refugees are ever
resettled;
(3) there were 6,100,000 Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers and an
additional 7,400,000 people displaced inside Syria as a result of years of
conflict, but the fall of the Assad regime has raised renewed hope for
return for many displaced Syrians, with more than 500,000 Syrian refugees
returning to the country and an estimated 1,200,000 internally displaced
Syrians returning to their area of origin as of May 2025;
(4) approximately 8,800,000 Ukrainians were forcibly displaced as a
result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, including more than
5,000,000 Ukrainian refugees;
(5) there were an estimated 5,800,000 Afghan refugees around the world,
representing a decrease from 2023 in part due to deportations from refugee-
hosting countries, which placed vulnerable Afghans, including women and
girls, at risk of persecution;
(6) more than 14,300,000 people were forcibly displaced due to the
ongoing conflict in Sudan, representing nearly 1 in 3 Sudanese, including
an estimated 2,800,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring countries,
many of whom are women or children;
(7) there were more than 6,000,000 Venezuelan refugees and migrants
globally, the majority of whom were hosted in Latin America;
(8) more than 1,000,000 people were forcibly displaced in Haiti due to
widespread violence, representing a 200 percent increase during the year;
(9) more than 90 percent of the population of Gaza (approximately
2,000,000 people) had been internally displaced since October 2023;
(10) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the largest
internal displacement crises in the world continued to grow, with
approximately 7,400,000 forcibly displaced people within or from the
country as a result of violence between armed groups;
(11) an estimated 1,100,000 Rohingya refugees resided in Bangladesh,
constituting the largest refugee settlement in the world, with thousands
more Rohingya refugees residing in nearby countries; and
(12) in the Sahel region, which encompasses Burkina Faso, Mali, and
Niger, an estimated 3,500,000 people were forced to flee their homes, an 89
percent increase since the end of 2020;
Whereas the vast majority of people fleeing persecution do not have access to
refugee resettlement and instead must seek protection through asylum or
other humanitarian pathways;
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 or to
third countries 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, through the United States Refugee Admissions Program the number of
refugees who arrived in the United States increased from only 11,411
during fiscal year 2021 to 100,034 during fiscal year 2024;
Whereas Executive Order 14163 (90 Fed. Reg. 8459; relating to realigning the
United States Refugee Admissions Program), which was issued on January
20, 2025, indefinitely suspending all refugee admissions to the United
States, put at risk the lives and well-being of refugees fleeing
violence and persecution, including Afghans, Burmese Rohingya, and
Sudanese;
Whereas, as of June 2025, the ongoing refugee admissions ban remains in effect;
Whereas--
(1) more than 100,000 refugees who had been conditionally approved for
refugee status by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services remain
indefinitely stranded;
(2) more than 22,000 refugees who were considered ``ready for
departure'' and who had completed all necessary medical checks, security
screenings, and interviews remain indefinitely stranded; and
(3) more than 12,000 refugees who had flights booked to travel to the
United States, many of whom had begun to move and sell belongings in
preparation for their resettlement, remain indefinitely stranded;
Whereas the Trump administration's selective resettlement of Afrikaners to the
United States over tens of thousands of already-approved refugees who
have fled persecution is a politically motivated and unjust decision
that excludes those most in need of protection;
Whereas the Constitution of the United States protects all individuals within
its jurisdiction, regardless of citizenship status, and should afford
refugees and asylum seekers full due process before deportation or other
adverse action affecting their protection;
Whereas attempts to suspend refugee admissions, bar individuals based on
religion or nationality, or implement blanket asylum bans and
indiscriminate removal or detention policies are inconsistent with the
Constitution of the United States, the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law
96-212), our treaty obligations, and established international human
rights norms;
Whereas the Trump administration's travel ban, issued in Proclamation 10949,
dated June 4, 2025 (90 Fed. Reg. 24497), which went into effect on June
9, 2025, blocking individuals from 12 countries from entering the United
States and restricting the entry of nationals from 7 other countries,
could deny refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing conflict, violence, and
persecution the chance to seek safe refuge in the United States;
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 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 step forward to support newly
arrived refugees through Welcome Corps, a refugee sponsorship initiative
under the United States Refugee Admissions Program, which was terminated
by the Trump administration;
Whereas, according to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services,
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 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;
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 the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to United States foreign
assistance have reduced support to refugees abroad, including through
the reduction in food rations to refugees in camps, threatening to
destabilize fragile situations: 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;
(6) calls upon President Trump to lift the indefinite
suspension of the United States Refugee Admissions Program and
to fully restore resettlement to the United States; and
(7) 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 to strengthen 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.
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