119-hres533

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 533 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 533

 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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 23, 2025

 Mr. Lieu (for himself, Mr. Amo, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Balint, Mrs. Beatty, 
 Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Chu, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Davis 
 of Illinois, Ms. DeGette, Ms. DelBene, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Espaillat, 
Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Garcia of California, Ms. Garcia of Texas, 
 Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. 
 Khanna, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Leger 
 Fernandez, Mr. Lynch, Ms. McClellan, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Mr. 
Menendez, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Nadler, 
 Ms. Norton, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Omar, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Pocan, Mrs. 
Ramirez, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Soto, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, 
 Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Tran, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Williams of 
 Georgia, Ms. Velazquez, and Mr. Kennedy of New York) 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 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 
5,700,000 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) 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 House of Representatives--

    (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.
 <all>