Ahead of FY 2027 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions, RCUSA Calls for Nondiscriminatory Resettlement for Refugees Most At Risk, Termination of the Refugee Ban, and Investments in our Communities

Washington, D.C. – As the administration prepares the FY 2027 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions (FY 2027 PD), Refugee Council USA calls on the administration to return the United States to its historic leadership role in refugee protection and re-open refugee admissions on a non-discriminatory basis. RCUSA also urges the administration to comply with its statutory obligation to conduct meaningful consultations with Congress prior to issuing the FY 2027 PD by October 1.

The modern U.S. resettlement program was established under the bipartisan Refugee Act of 1980 to meet the global scale of need for resettlement and serve the most at-risk refugees, regardless of their country of origin, race, or faith tradition. These principles are even more important today. RCUSA remains alarmed by the administration’s discriminatory approach in admitting almost exclusively Afrikaners from South Africa under the refugee program in FY 2026, while explicitly leaving in place the indefinite and unlawful refugee ban, as well as the expanded travel ban that suspended entry under the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program.

RCUSA calls for a full resumption of refugee processing and resettlement under a nondiscriminatory framework to protect the most at-risk refugees whose lives are in dangerous limbo. These guardrails must be coupled with necessary investments in the capacity to welcome, including full restoration of food, medical, and other public assistance to resettled refugees. Only then can the United States hope to renew its global resettlement leadership role and return to its historic commitment of at least 92,000 refugee admissions, which has been the average level of annual refugee admissions across Republican and Democratic presidential administrations since 1980.

The U.S. resettlement program historically served as a standard of excellence around the world, yet the Trump administration’s erosion of humanitarian protections has left the refugee program a shadow of its former self. While we envision a world where all refugees in need of U.S. resettlement have access to safety, it is imperative that we do so without discrimination and adequately resource communities’ capacity to welcome. Local communities across the country stand ready to resettle refugees and newcomers. At minimum, these should include steps to resettle the following populations of concern:

• The refugees who had been conditionally-approved for resettlement to the United States and had been left stranded, as of January 2025 when the refugee ban went into effect, such as Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in Burma.
• Afghan allies stranded abroad, such as those still located at Camp As Salyiyah (CAS) and those referred to (and eligible for) the Afghan P-2 program, at risk due to their U.S. affiliation.
• Family reunification to the United States, such as via the Follow-to-Join Program.
• Persecuted religious minorities, through the Lautenberg Program, among them Christian, Jewish, and Baha’i communities – including those currently at increased risk amid escalating violence in Iran – as well as certain particularly vulnerable refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. 
• U.S.-Affiliated Iraqis, such as employees of U.S. non-governmental organizations and media organizations or certain family members of U.S. citizens, green card holders, and others, under the Iraqi Direct Access Program.
• Particularly vulnerable children through the U.S. Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program, which provides the only livesaving option for refugee children who do not have a parent or relative available to provide for their long-term care.

At a time when the scale of displacement includes more than 41.6 million refugees worldwide, the majority of refugees in need of protection originate from Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela. With long-term displacement now a defining feature of the global refugee landscape, now is a critical time for the United States to retake its position as a global leader in durable solutions.

“Americans across the country insist that we should continue providing safe haven to those fleeing war and persecution,” said John Slocum, Executive Director of RCUSA. “When the United States turns its back on refugees, that negative example encourages other nations to do the same. And turning our backs on refugees is turning our backs on our own humanity. It’s time for our country to reopen the path to a more humane future for people seeking safety and restart refugee admissions on a nondiscriminatory basis.”

“For decades the historically bipartisan U.S. Refugee Admissions Program granted life-saving assistance to ordinary people who fled extraordinary persecution, danger and violence,” said Beth Oppenheim, President & CEO, HIAS. “Every day that the Trump administration keeps America’s doors sealed to vulnerable people seeking safety conditions around the world become more and more dangerous. Afghans who have no pathway to reunite with their loved ones. Iranian religious minorities, including hundreds of Jews, who are vulnerable in a way that many of us can barely imagine. Their stories matter – and their lives matter – and that is why we must never stop fighting for what we know this country has been, and will be again.”

“Across the globe, refugees who have been displaced for years or decades are waiting for the chance to restart their lives in safety, including Afghan allies and other highly-vulnerable populations,” said Sharif Aly, President of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). “For them, the United States Refugee Admissions Program represents their best hope at permanent resettlement. Historically, the U.S. has welcomed more refugees than any other country, and in turn refugees have embraced the United States and enriched our communities. Instead of restricting refugee admissions to fit a political agenda, we must return to a fair system that addresses the scale of global displacement and acknowledges the immense contributions refugees bring to this country.”

“Scripture commands us to love the stranger, for we were strangers once ourselves. The Refugee Act of 1980 embodied that same commitment,” said Rick Santos, President and CEO of Church World Service. “Last year’s refugee determination reserved nearly every slot for a single group while stranding tens of thousands of vetted, approved refugees – an injustice we are contesting in Pacito v. Rubio. As the administration prepares to issue a new determination, we call for a nondiscriminatory admissions goal that is grounded in global need and the immense value refugees bring to our communities.”

“As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary it is important to remember that our strength as a nation is built by the countless refugees and asylum seekers who sought and found refuge in our country,” said Angelica Salas, Executive Director, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). “In return, over many generations, these individuals have contributed their talents, entrepreneurship and vision to make the United States a thriving nation as it is today. We must honor these contributions by ensuring we remain a beacon for the most vulnerable around the world who seek freedom from violence, war and injustice.”

“We must meet today’s urgent humanitarian needs by immediately restoring equitable access to U.S. refugee processing and resettlement, including by ensuring that all who are fleeing persecution are able to seek safety,” said Uzra Zeya, President and CEO, Human Rights First. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program has for decades saved millions of lives, protected the rights of people forced to flee, enriched American communities, and helped generations rebuild their lives in safety and with dignity. The world’s most vulnerable refugees are now stranded, including tens of thousands who have already undergone stringent vetting to be accepted for resettlement to the United States, while this U.S. administration disparages the Refugee Convention and pursues policies that target those afforded its life-saving protections. We urge Congress to act without delay to restore welcome to those fleeing from persecution.”

RCUSA calls on Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities to ensure that the administration adheres to its legal obligations under the Refugee Act of 1980. In the last year, both the administration and Congress have curtailed refugees’ access to food and healthcare assistance. Refugees already contribute enormously to their communities – economically, civically, culturally, and many other ways. Although the Office of Refugee Resettlement has taken steps to support refugee medical assistance for new arrivals, RCUSA urges congressional, state, and local elected leaders to fully restore refugees’ access to basic healthcare, nutrition assistance, and social services to ensure that newly-arriving families have the opportunity to thrive.

Media Contact: Mariam Sayeed, msayeed@rcusa.org

RCUSA is a diverse coalition advocating for just and humane laws and policies, and the promotion of dialogue and communication among government, civil society, and those who need protection and welcome. Individual RCUSA members do not all address all refugee-related issues, nor do all individual members approach common refugee-related issues identically.

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