The Fragile U.S. Refugee Resettlement System

IN FY 2024, the U.S. resettled 100,034 refugees—the highest number in 30 years and about nine times the number resettled in FY 2021. The 2024 tally is a reason to celebrate and a reminder that refugee resettlement is highly subject to presidential whims.

- Fiona Harrigan

America’s modern refugee resettlement system was established in 1980. The U.S. legally defines a refugee as someone who is living outside of his home country and can’t or won’t return to that country because of previous or potential persecution based on certain criteria, such as race, religion, or political opinion. The U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees since 1980. The year-by-year level has varied dramatically due to the president’s powerful role in shaping refugee admissions.

“More than in other areas of immigration, in which Congress sets caps on the number of annual visas and admissions, the president has wide latitude to determine the maximum number of refugees admitted each year (and from where), in consultation with Congress,” notes an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a nonpartisan think tank.