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Adds a new subsection (g) to 8 U.S.C. 1522 that (1) requires the Director or the Federal agency administering subsection (b)(1) to notify the chief executive of a State at least 30 days before a refugee is to be resettled there and (2) prohibits resettling or coordinating placement of refugees in a State if the State's chief executive communicates that the State does not accede to such resettlement or placement.
Modifies 8 U.S.C. 1157 to replace Presidential determinations of annual refugee admission numbers with a requirement that Congress enact a joint resolution setting the number for a fiscal year before refugees may be admitted; changes Presidential 'determination' language to 'recommendation' in various subsections; changes the parenthetical reference from fiscal year 1992 to fiscal year 2025 for the enumerations requirement; and requires presidential recommendations for emergency admissions with admission contingent on enactment of a joint resolution.
Requires Congress to set the annual refugee admission ceiling by enacting a joint resolution before refugees can be admitted and updates related statutory language (effective starting fiscal year 2025). Also gives each State’s chief executive (governor) a 30-day notice before refugee placement and allows the State to refuse resettlement in its territory if the governor objects.
Amend Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157).
In subsection (a), paragraph (1): strike 'Except' and all that follows through the period at the end and insert new text (replacement text indicated in the amendment).
In subsection (a), replace paragraph (2) with a rule that 'Except as provided in subsection (b), no refugees may be admitted under this section in a fiscal year until such time as a joint resolution is enacted which sets the number of refugees who may be admitted under this section in that fiscal year.'
In subsection (a), paragraph (4): (i) replace the word 'determination' with 'recommendation'; (ii) change the parenthetical '(beginning with fiscal year 1992)' to '(beginning with fiscal year 2025)'; (iii) replace the word 'determined' with 'recommended'.
In subsection (b): (A) replace the word 'fix' with the phrase 'submit to Congress a recommendation for'; (B) replace 'situation and such' with 'situation. Any such'; (C) a clause in the bill text reads 'by striking and insert ; and' (this is shown verbatim in the amendment language); (D) add at the end the sentence: 'No refugees may be admitted under this subsection until such time as a joint resolution is enacted which sets the number of refugees who may be admitted under this subsection.'
Who is affected and how:
Refugees: Admissions timing and the total number admitted in a fiscal year become directly dependent on congressional action; some refugees could face delays in admission or fewer admissions if Congress does not enact a ceiling or if States refuse placements.
State governments (chief executives): Governors gain formal notice and de facto veto power over whether refugees are placed in their State, increasing State control over resettlement within their borders.
Federal agencies (e.g., State Department, agencies responsible for refugee placement): Must wait for a congressional joint resolution before admitting refugees each fiscal year and implement a 30-day notification process; operational planning and scheduling will need to account for potential delays or state refusals.
Refugee resettlement agencies and nonprofit service providers: May face operational disruption, uncertain caseloads, last-minute relocations of placements, and the need to respond to changes in where refugees can be settled.
Local communities and service systems: Reception services, housing, schools, health care providers, and local governments may experience uneven or shifted demand if placements are concentrated in States that accept refugees or if placements are delayed.
Broader effects and risks:
Predictability and capacity: Moving the ceiling decision to an enacted joint resolution may reduce predictability for resettlement planning and could compress timelines for processing and placement if congressional action is late.
Geographic distribution: Allowing States to refuse placements could concentrate refugee arrivals in a subset of States, altering burden-sharing and potentially straining resources in accepting States.
Political and legal considerations: The change shifts a key element of refugee policy from executive-branch administration to explicit congressional approval and increases State-level control, which may provoke political debate and possible legal challenges over federal immigration authority and preemption, depending on implementation and disputes.
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced May 21, 2025 by Nancy Mace · Last progress May 21, 2025
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Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House