Landmark Refugee Legislation Will Benefit the World’s Most Vulnerable 

Washington, DC – Refugees International President Dan Glickman today urged policymakers to fix shortfalls in current law that needlessly prevent refugees, asylum seekers and stateless individuals from finding safe harbor and enjoying basic human rights in the United States.  Glickman testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, “Renewing America's Commitment to the Refugee Convention: The Refugee Protection Act of 2010.”

“The United States has a long, proud history of providing protection to refugees, but our system today has serious gaps,” stated Glickman. “The Refugee Protection Act will help us do the right thing by creating a more efficient and fair process for providing safe haven to the world’s most vulnerable.”

One of the bill’s provisions seeks to prevent newly resettled refugees from slipping into poverty by ensuring that grants provided to help settle refugees in the U.S. cover the true costs involved – including support services to help refugees secure housing, education and employment, and direct payment for rent, utilities, food and other necessary initial expenses.

“For years we have accepted refugees into our country only to relegate them to poverty. This is wrong for our new neighbors, it’s bad for the economy and it’s bad for our reputation around the world when refugees communicate their situation to family members back home,” stated Glickman.

The Refugee Protection Act is also the first piece of U.S. legislation that addresses a comprehensive domestic remedy for the problem of stateless individuals – those who are not considered to be citizens under the laws of any country. It is estimated that there are 12 million people around the world living in limbo without the fundamental right to citizenship. The legislation would create a pathway for stateless persons in the United States to gain lawful status, allowing them to apply for legal permanent residency here and obtain the right to a nationality. 

“Stateless people are perhaps even more vulnerable than refugees,” stated Glickman. “This legislation will give individuals caught in the horrible status of being without a nationality a process to claim that basic human right.”

The hearing was organized by Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to discuss reforms to U.S. laws governing asylum, refugee resettlement and persons who do not presently enjoy their right to a nationality.  The Refugee Protection Act was introduced by Chairman Patrick Leahy and is cosponsored by Senators Carl Levin (D-MI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Roland Burris (D-IL).

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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 www.refugeesinternational.org.

For Immediate Release: May 19, 2010
Contact: Ann Brown; +1-202-828-0110 x214
ann@refugeesinternational.org