Wed, 06/15/2011 - 15:44
Refugee Protection Act Defends Human Rights, Promotes U.S. Protection for Persecuted Refugees
Washington, DC – Refugees International (RI) welcomed the introduction of The Refugee Protection Act of 2011, which was introduced today by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). RI noted that the comprehensive piece of legislation brings the United States much closer to fulfilling its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. It addresses shortfalls in current law that make it unnecessarily difficult for asylum seekers to find safe harbor in the United States and for refugees to be fully protected.
“This bill will ensure that asylum seekers and refugees can more fairly and quickly receive U.S. protection, while preserving U.S. security,” said Michel Gabaudan, President of Refugees International. “We commend Senator Leahy for his leadership to preserve and strengthen U.S. law in recognizing and defending human rights and human dignity, particularly for persecuted refugees.”
The legislation comes thirty-one years after the passage of the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 and as the international community is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. The bill will require a streamlined asylum process that will simplify processing and reduce detention costs. It will remove restrictions for some victims of terrorism who have been unfairly excluded for providing “material support” to armed groups, often by force or coercion. At the same time, it will reject those with legitimate ties to terrorist activity. The bill also seeks to prevent newly resettled refugees who struggle to rebuild their lives in the U.S. from slipping into poverty by adjusting the resettlement grant level annually for inflation.
“The U.S. has a long and proud history of supporting human rights and seeking to aid those who have been forced to flee persecution,” said Gabaudan. “The country has offered asylum, resettlement and a path to citizenship for many persecuted groups who have become contributing citizens in their new homeland. This is a heritage of which the U.S. is justly proud.”
The legislation also offers legal status to a long forgotten group -- de jure stateless people in the U.S. These individuals currently lack citizenship to any country and include people from the former Soviet Union, the "bidoon" of Kuwait, or denationalized Syrian Kurds. Chairman Leahy’s Refugee Protection Act would rescue these men and women from limbo and allow those who are otherwise admissible to the U.S. and able to pass security screenings to obtain a temporary legal status for five years, and then permanent residence.
Refugees International is a Washington DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding. For more information, go to http://www.refugeesinternational.org/.
“This bill will ensure that asylum seekers and refugees can more fairly and quickly receive U.S. protection, while preserving U.S. security,” said Michel Gabaudan, President of Refugees International. “We commend Senator Leahy for his leadership to preserve and strengthen U.S. law in recognizing and defending human rights and human dignity, particularly for persecuted refugees.”
The legislation comes thirty-one years after the passage of the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 and as the international community is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. The bill will require a streamlined asylum process that will simplify processing and reduce detention costs. It will remove restrictions for some victims of terrorism who have been unfairly excluded for providing “material support” to armed groups, often by force or coercion. At the same time, it will reject those with legitimate ties to terrorist activity. The bill also seeks to prevent newly resettled refugees who struggle to rebuild their lives in the U.S. from slipping into poverty by adjusting the resettlement grant level annually for inflation.
“The U.S. has a long and proud history of supporting human rights and seeking to aid those who have been forced to flee persecution,” said Gabaudan. “The country has offered asylum, resettlement and a path to citizenship for many persecuted groups who have become contributing citizens in their new homeland. This is a heritage of which the U.S. is justly proud.”
The legislation also offers legal status to a long forgotten group -- de jure stateless people in the U.S. These individuals currently lack citizenship to any country and include people from the former Soviet Union, the "bidoon" of Kuwait, or denationalized Syrian Kurds. Chairman Leahy’s Refugee Protection Act would rescue these men and women from limbo and allow those who are otherwise admissible to the U.S. and able to pass security screenings to obtain a temporary legal status for five years, and then permanent residence.
Refugees International is a Washington DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding. For more information, go to http://www.refugeesinternational.org/.
For Immediate Release: June 15, 2011
Contact: Dara McLeod, +1-202-540-7025
dara@refugeesinternational.org
Contact: Dara McLeod, +1-202-540-7025
dara@refugeesinternational.org
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