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June 17, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextPROMOTING THE SAFETY, HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING OF REFUGEES AND DISPLACED
PERSONS IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD
Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Coons, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kain, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 775
Whereas, June 20, 2026, 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, 2026, is the 75th anniversary of the
adoption of the Convention relating to the Status of
Refugees, held at Geneva on July 28, 1951, a landmark
achievement that codified a definition for “refugee”,
established the foundational principle of non-refoulement,
and outlined the rights of refugees and the legal obligations
of nation states to protect such rights;
Whereas, in 2026, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (referred to in this preamble as “UNHCR”) reported
that, as of the end of 2025—
(1) there were more than 117,000,000 displaced people who
had been forced from their homes worldwide, including more
than 41,600,000 refugees, 9,000,000 asylum seekers, and
68,700,000 internally displaced persons;
(2) 68 percent of all refugees worldwide were hosted in
low- and middle-income countries and fewer than 1 percent of
refugees are ever resettled;
(3) 70 percent of all refugees worldwide were in protracted
situations, having been forcibly displaced from their country
of origin for at least 5 years;
(4) approximately 1,300,000 Syrian refugees returned to
Syria during 2025 out of the roughly 6,000,000 Syrian
refugees as of the end of 2024 who had been displaced by
years of conflict;
(5) nearly 2,000,000 internally displaced Syrians returned
to their area of origin, but Syria remains affected by one of
the largest humanitarian crises in the world, despite
positive political changes and renewed hope for returns
following the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024;
(6) approximately 8,900,000 Ukrainians had been forcibly
displaced as a result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by
Russia, including 5,200,000 Ukrainian refugees, which
represents an increase compared to the end of 2024;
(7) there were an estimated 3,700,000 Afghan refugees
around the world, representing a decrease compared to the end
of 2024 in part due to restrictive government policies toward
Afghans in certain refugee-hosting countries, which placed
vulnerable Afghans, including women and girls, at risk of
persecution;
(8) approximately 11,900,000 people were forcibly displaced
due to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, including 9,100,000
internally displaced persons, representing the largest
internal displacement crisis globally, and an estimated
2,800,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring countries,
many of whom are women or children;
(9) there were more than 6,000,000 people displaced from
Venezuela, the majority of whom were being hosted in Latin
America;
(10) more than 1,400,000 people had been forcibly displaced
in Haiti due to widespread violence, representing a nearly 40
percent increase compared to the end of 2024;
(11) more than 90 percent of the population of Gaza
(approximately 2,000,000 people) had been internally
displaced since October 2023;
(12) the Democratic Republic of the Congo had one of the
largest internal displacement crises, with 3,900,000 people
newly displaced due to the ongoing conflict even as 3,600,000
people returned to their area of origin, often involuntarily,
due to the forced closure of internal displacement
settlements by the de facto authorities;
(13) an estimated 1,200,000 Rohingya refugees resided in
Bangladesh, constituting the largest refugee settlement in
the world, with thousands more Rohingya refugees residing in
nearby countries; and
(14) in the Sahel region, which encompasses Burkina Faso,
Mali, and Niger, an estimated 3,900,000 people were forcibly
displaced;
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 relief;
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, 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, remains in place
and continues to put at risk the lives and well-being of
refugees fleeing violence and persecution, including
Iranians, Afghans, Burmese Rohingya, Sudanese, and Somalis;
Whereas, President Trump set the fiscal year 2026
Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions at a record
low of 7,500 individuals, prioritizing the resettlement of
Afrikaners from South Africa, such that Afrikaners made up
over 95 percent of arrivals during fiscal year 2026 as of May
2026;
Whereas, President Trump's decision to increase the fiscal
year 2026 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions by
10,000, exclusively for the resettlement of Afrikaners from
South Africa, is a politically motivated and unjust decision
that excludes those most in need of protection, including
tens of thousands of already approved and thoroughly vetted
refugees who have fled persecution;
Whereas, the Trump administration has failed to implement
the Lautenberg-Specter Program, which Congress reauthorized
for fiscal year 2026, to screen and admit religious
minorities in the former Soviet Union and Iran who are facing
persecution and discrimination, including 15,000 religious
minorities in Iran;
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;
Whereas, as of June 2026, 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;
(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; and
(4) more than 800 Afghan allies, about \1/2\ of whom are
women and children, evacuated to the Camp As Sayliyah in
Qatar are refugees, who have a clear path to resettle in the
United States, but remain indefinitely stranded;
Whereas, the Trump administration's actions to detain
dozens of approved refugees, who underwent years of vetting
prior to approval and traveled thousands of miles from home
to reexamine their refugee cases, only to determine once
again that they were properly approved for refugee status,
was a violation of our Nation's laws and commitments to
refugees;
Whereas the Constitution of the United States protects all
individuals within its jurisdiction, regardless of
citizenship status and should afford noncitizens in the
United States, including 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, 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, 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; and
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: 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, 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 increase support for 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 increase efforts 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.