Here's what's broken and how we can fix it
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John, 

At the close of the fiscal year in September, the U.S. had resettled
only 11,411 refugees. 

That's the lowest number in the history of our refugee resettlement
program. Here's how we got here. 

When a refugee enters the resettlement system, they're starting
a lengthy process with five distinct steps. First, they must be
referred into the system due to their particular vulnerability or
ties to the U.S. Next, they undergo a pre-screening interview at a
Refugee Support Center before moving on to an official
refugee interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS). After that, they must undergo a multitude
of additional security and medical checks to ensure their
resettlement would pose no risks to national security. Finally,
they're connected with a sponsoring resettlement agency in the U.S.
with the capacity to take them in. 

This entire process must be completed while refugees are waiting in
refugee camps or other, even more dangerous conditions. The
system is designed to protect the most vulnerable refugees around
the world  - it is imperative that it functions properly
and moves quickly to resettle them to safety. 

Learn more about how refugee resettlement works
 

But the truth is that Trump administration restrictions and the
COVID-19 pandemic have caused lasting damage to almost every part of
the refugee admissions process - resulting in strained
capacity, backlogs and processing delays all along the pipeline, and
historically low resettlement numbers.  

The U.S. has set an optimistic goal of resettling 125,000 refugees for
fiscal year 2022- but we won't come close without addressing key
problems within the system. Here's what's standing in the way: 

See more about what's causing the refugee resettlement backlog
 

So, what's the solution? 

Each one of these problems can be addressed head-on. We can proactively
rebuild domestic resettlement infrastructure as well as capacity at
USCIS. We can better coordinate and streamline the vetting process. We
can create new pathways to enter the refugee admissions process. We can
surge resources and staffing to the divisions that need it. We can
rebuild a functioning refugee resettlement system. 

This must be about more than setting a high refugee admissions
ceiling and hoping we get there. What's needed is that sustained
commitment. For years, refugee resettlement had strong support from
both Republicans and Democrats alike. It can still be that
way-but our elected officials need to act and prioritize rebuilding
our refugee resettlement system.  

Check out our resource on the refugee resettlement backlog
 

Thanks, 

Danilo Zak 

Policy and Advocacy Manager 

 

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