Colette Qualtieri

12/4/2020

 

Raising the Refugee Ceiling in the United States:  Responsibility and Benefits of being a Global Example of Religious Freedoms

 

Executive Summary

The world is experiencing an unprecedented refugee crisis. The number of refugees in 2019 stood at 26 million, the highest number seen in history. The United States has reduced the ceiling of refugee admittance annually from 110,000 at the end of the Obama Administration to the designated ceiling for 2021 at only 15,000. This policy is in dire need of drastic adjustment to relieve the burden of developing countries that host the majority of refugees worldwide. 

 

Introduction

We should do our part as a nation to increase acceptance of refugees seeking safe haven. Why have we drastically reduced our admission of refugees when the refugee crisis is at an all-time high? What can we do to offer more refugees a new life escaping religious persecution and other violent circumstances? 

Over the past four years, the United States has effectively bowed out of the refugee relief effort by reducing the ceiling of refugees dramatically. This has been accompanied by other exclusionary efforts.  The Muslim travel ban that occurred just after Donald Trump’s inauguration is still in effect today. The Executive Order by President Trump to prosecute all migrants crossing the southern border illegally resulted in the separation of thousands of children from their parents. Over six hundred children have still not been reunited. This widespread display of xenophobia has increased trauma, homelessness, human trafficking and poverty. When offered the opportunity to share our liberties and prosperity, refugees can become the most devoted to improving society in their newfound homes. 

Our country was founded on religious freedom. As the wealthiest country in the world, how can we possibly justify closing our doors to those in need?

The Trump Administration intended to reduce the refugee ceiling to zero[i]; however, global refugee agencies retaliated upon hearing these reports.  Meanwhile, other countries shoulder the responsibility of providing safe haven for refugees while the United States continues to restrict access. According to Amnesty International, 85% of the world’s refugees are being hosted in developing countries[ii]. They have shouldered a heavy burden in spite of the lack of resources to support the effort.  

 

The Current Situation

The Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2017[iii] signed by President Obama allowed a total of 110,000 refugees.  

The Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021[iv] placed a ceiling of only 15,000 refugees. Each year, the ceiling has been lowered by thousands of people that would otherwise be able to attain a safe haven. The total allowable number of refugees shows an 86% reduction over a five-year period.  

The Trump Administration’s reasoning behind the reduction in refugee admittance is due to “considering refugees and asylum seekers as part of the same relief effort” as well as a backlog of 1.1 million asylum seekers. “The overwhelming backlog is completely unsustainable and needs to be addressed before we accept large numbers of refugees.”[v] 

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom’s mission is “to advance international freedom of religion or belief, by independently assessing and unflinchingly confronting threats to this fundamental right.” They are on the front lines of religious persecution identifying Countries of Particular Concern and countries on the Special Watch List.  These countries have committed systematic and ongoing violations of religious freedom and are denied privileges from the United States that other countries enjoy shown below.[vi]     

In the 2020 Annual Report of the USCIRF, the ‘Recommendations to the Administration’ (Trump Administration) include this statement:  

“Return the annual ceiling for the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) to the previously typical 95,000, and fully implement the Lautenberg Amendment, which aids persecuted Iranian religious minorities seeking refugee status in the United States.”  

If accepting a large number of refugees has proven to be detrimental in the past to the safety and economic security of our country, then how could this be a valid recommendation? 

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 2019 Global Report, the total number of refugees at the end of December 2019 was 20,221,181. Over fifty percent of total refugees are children.   

Turkey, Colombia and Pakistan are the top three countries hosting refugees as of 2019. In addition to the United States taking the initiative to shoulder more of the burden, the United Nations should create a feasibility report to advise what the sustainable number of refugees would be based on population, economy and available social services to be used as a guiding principle. 

How Has the COVID-19 Pandemic affected Refugee Resettlement in the United States?

Refugee resettlement and travel were suspended on March 19, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) lifted the suspension on June 18, 2020. The 2020 ceiling was set at 18,000, however, by the end of the fiscal year (September 30), only 11,814 refugees had been admitted into the U.S.  This is understandable under the circumstances, however this unexpected reduction in placements seems to have been used to further reduce placements in 2021.

The Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021 states: “The admission of up to 15,000 refugees to the United States during FY 2021 is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest. This refugee admissions ceiling incorporates more than 6,000 unused places from the FY 2020 refugee admissions ceiling that might have been used if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.” The “incorporation” of the unused 6,000 places effectively reduces this number to only 9,000 for 2021.  

 

Are Refugees in the United States a Burden? 

While we refer to refugees as a responsibility and a burden, it’s important to note the return on our investment over time as a nation. The allocated cost to support resettlement in the United States in the fiscal year 2020 is $50,000 per person over a five-year period.[vii] Refugees are typically grateful for the opportunity to establish themselves in the United States and contribute to society economically, as taxpayers, and as consumers. They are known for taking risks as well as being adaptive and creative problem solvers.  Some become entrepreneurs and employers. Many refugees start in low-skilled jobs enabling locals to move into higher skilled and higher paying jobs. They stimulate the economy by spending their wages and increasing demand in the marketplace.[viii]

According to a study done by researchers at Notre Dame University[ix], refugees begin to pay more in taxes than they’ve received in benefits within eight years of their arrival and after twenty years of residence evidence suggests that they have paid an average of $21,000 more. 

As previously stated, over fifty percent of refugees are children. The long term societal and economic benefits of raising these children with an education and an opportunity to build their families in a stable society are difficult to quantify; however, most are instilled with the desire to make their mark. In fact, refugee children under the age of fifteen graduated from high school and entered college at the same rate as U.S. born children. They are instilled with the fact that their parents escaped great danger and fought to make a better life for them than they had in their country of origin.  Because of this, many get involved in humanitarian careers.  

Conclusion

As a developed, wealthy country, the United States should increase the ceiling of refugee admittance to its former status of over 95,000. With COVID-19 vaccines being approved for distribution, the hope is to admit refugees in a safe way that ensures the best for U.S. citizens and refugees alike. We should engage our wealth and power to assist the suffering, the persecuted and those fleeing violent circumstances. Data shows that refugees and their children become important members of our communities and our nation as a whole. We can set the example-as we have in the past-of a country that promotes and defends religious freedoms globally. We can do our part, as a prosperous and resourceful nation to lift some of the burden of the developing countries that are hosting the majority of refugees like Turkey, Colombia and Pakistan.

[i] USCIRF Statement in Response to White House Plans to Reduce Refugee Ceiling to Zero

[ii] The World’s Refugees in Numbers; Amnesty International; What We Do page

[iii] Obama Whitehouse Archives

[iv] Presidential Determination No. 2021-02 Issued on: October 28, 2020

[v] Fact Sheet; Whitehouse.gov; President Donald J. Trump’s Humanitarian and Responsible Approach On Refugees

[vi] USCIRF Legislation Factsheet: International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA): May 2019

[vii] Office of Refugee Resettlement; FY 2019 Refugee support Services Formula Allocation report published 9/4/2019

[viii] Refugees Work:  A Humanitarian Investment that Yields Economic Dividends; Phillipe LeGrain; May 2016

[ix] The Economic and Social Outcomes of Refugees in the United States:  Evidence from the ACS; William N. Evans, Daniel Fitzgerald; Working Paper 23498; National Bureau of Economic Research; June 2017