Sponsors (2)
Need help making sense of this bill?
This is not an official government website.
Copyright © 2026 PLEJ LC. All rights reserved.
Allows U.S. community and private sponsor groups to refer people for refugee processing and requires the State Department to accept and process those referrals within 90 days of enactment. Establishes a federally run Community-based Refugee Reception Program in which approved sponsor groups provide the first 90 days of resettlement support (training, basic assistance, and coordination), while preserving normal refugee eligibility rules and the admission authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security. Requires the Secretary of State to set up sponsor approval, training, funding expectations, grants/partnerships for training, and yearly reporting to state and local governments, and authorizes funding to stand up and run the program.
Community-based refugee reception is not a replacement for resettlement services provided through experienced providers but serves as an effective complement to existing resettlement pathways by increasing the capacity of local communities to resettle refugees in the United States.
Participation in community-based reception supports self-sufficiency of refugees and encourages United States citizens to meaningfully engage with their neighbors and local institutions while working toward a common goal.
The Department of State should utilize all available tools to expand avenues for United States citizens to participate in refugee resettlement and capitalize on widespread interest in community-based reception models.
The United States Refugee Admissions Program is a critical demonstration of efforts by the United States to extend hope, strengthen global security, and relieve suffering through refugee resettlement.
Although less than 1 percent of global refugees will ever be resettled in a third country, refugees resettled in the United States between 2005 and 2019 contributed $123,800,000,000 in net benefit to the economy according to studies conducted by the Federal Government.
Primary effects:
Refugees: The bill creates an additional pathway for people to be referred into U.S. refugee processing and guarantees that approved community sponsors will provide direct help for the first 90 days after arrival—housing search assistance, basic necessities, and local orientation. Referred individuals still must clear normal eligibility and security checks.
Community sponsors and local organizations: Volunteer groups, faith-based organizations, and other private/community sponsors will take on recruitment, training, financial commitments, and hands-on service delivery for initial resettlement. They will need capacity to be approved, to fund or raise funds for initial assistance, and to meet training requirements.
Federal agencies (Department of State and Department of Homeland Security): The State Department must stand up program operations, sponsor approval processes, training modules, grant mechanisms, and reporting systems quickly. DHS retains final admission authority and will continue security and immigration processing for referred individuals, which may require coordination across agencies.
Existing resettlement agencies and local governments: The law is written to complement existing reception and placement services—resettlement agencies may partner with or oversee sponsors, adjust workflows to integrate community referrals, and respond to any increased caseloads. Local governments may receive annual program reports and could be affected by patterns of placement and service needs.
Potential operational and policy implications:
Adds a new section (Section 415, "Community-based Refugee Reception Program") to Chapter 2 of title IV of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), establishing a community-based refugee reception program with eligibility, sponsorship, public-private partnership, reporting, definitions, and an authorization of appropriations for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.
Adds that, for purposes of admission under section 207 (8 U.S.C. 1157), refugees of special humanitarian concern eligible for processing under the United States Refugee Admissions Program include aliens referred by eligible community sponsorship groups subject to requirements of a new section 415.
Makes refugees admitted under this section exempt from the numerical limitations described in sections 202, 203, 204, and 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (as codified in 8 U.S.C. chapter provisions referenced).
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced August 1, 2025 by Christopher Murphy · Last progress August 1, 2025
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate