Refugees and Asylees

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Refugees (individuals who apply for admission to the United States at an overseas facility) and asylees (individuals who apply for admission once they are within this nation’s borders or at a point of entry) seek refuge in America due to fear of persecution in their homeland. This web page provides a basic overview and resources on this foreign-born population.

The Numbers

At the end of 2009, there were 43.3 million people worlwide forcibly displaced due to conflict and persecution, the highest number since the mid-1990s. Of these, 15.2 million were refugees, 27.1 million were internally displaced persons (IDPs), and nearly 1 million were awaiting adjudication of their asylum application.[source]

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Refugee Arrivals to U.S. by Country of Origin: Fiscal Years 2008 to 2010

(Ranked by 2010 Country of Origin)

 Country  2010     2009     2008    
  Number   Percent  Number   Percent  Number   Percent
 Total  73,293    100.0  74,602   100.0  60,107   100.0 
 Iraq  18,016    24.6  18,838   25.3  13,822    23.0
 Burma  16,693    22.8  18,202    24.4  18,139    30.2
 Bhutan  12,363    16.9  13,452    18.0  5,320    8.9
 Somalia  4,884     6.7  4,189    5.6  2,523    4.2 
 Cuba  4,818    6.6  4,800    6.4  4,177    6.9
 Iran  3,543    4.8  5,381    7.2  5,270    8.8
 Dem. Rep. Congo  3,174    4.3  1,135    1.5  727    1.2
 Eritrea  2,570    3.5  1,571    2.1  251    0.4
 Vietnam  873    1.2  1,486    2.0  1,112    1.9
 Ethiopia  668    0.9  321    0.4  299    0.5
 All other countries, including unknown  5,691    7.8  5,227    7.0  8,467    14.1

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS).[source]

All Asylees by Country of Origin: 2008 to 2010

(Ranked by 2010 Country of Origin)

 Country 2010    2009    2008   
  Number Percent Number  Percent  Number  Percent 
 Total  21,113  100.0  22,090  100.0  22,832  100.0
 China  6,683  31.7  6,118  27.7  5,462  23.9
 Ethiopia  1,093  5.2  1,109  5.0  900  3.9
 Haiti  832  3.9  1,000  4.5  1,237  5.4
 Venezuela  660  3.1  584  2.6  1,050  4.6
 Nepal  640  3.0  667  3.0  495  2.2
 Colombia  591  2.8  993  4.5  1,646  7.2
 Russia  548  2.6  493  2.2  570  2.5
 Egypt  536  2.5  481  2.2  416  1.8
 Iran  485  2.3  348  1.6  399  1.7
 Guatemala  465  2.2  502  2.3  540  2.4
 All other countries, including unknown  8,580  40.6  9,795  44.3  10,117  44.3

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Refugee, Asylum, and Parole System (RAPS) and Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).[source]

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History of Refugee and Asylee Legislation

1951 The 1951 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees established the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to deal with the resettlement of refugees and the residual refugees following World War II. The protocol is a key legal document in defining refugees, their rights, and states' legal obligations.
1953 The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 was passed. This emergency immigration legislation signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower allowed 214,000 refugees to enter the United States.
1956 A congressional act was passed allowing for Hungarian refugees who were fleeing the former Soviet Union's repression of their republic to resettle in the United States.
1962 A congressional act created a pathway for Cubans fleeing Castro. The act granted nonquota immigrant visas for certain individuals.
1967 The United Nations Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (the United States signed it in 1968) prohibited countries from returning refugees to their homelands in cases where their lives or freedom would be threatened.
1975 The Indochina Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of May 23, 1975 established a program of domestic resettlement assistance for refugees who fled Cambodia and Vietnam.
1977 The Indochinese Refugee Act of 1977 provided systematic procedures for admitting and resettling refugees, made the distinction between refugee and asylee status, and specified provisions for the adjustment to permanent resident status for refugees who had lived in the United States for one year.
1980 Congress enacted legislation to bring U.S. law into compliance with the obligations it assumed under the UN Protocol (signed in 1968) and provide better treatment of refugees and improved procedures. It also established that their claim needed to be justified "by grave humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest."
2000 The United Nations Security Council passed UN Security Council Resolution 1325, mandating that UN peacekeeping missions consider the different impacts of their actions on women and men.
2003 The Department of Homeland Security now included: the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
2005 The Real ID Act passed to prevent terrorists from using the asylum system to attain lawful immigration status

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Refugee and Asylee Women

Following the UNHCR’s release of guidelines addressing the persecution of women, in 1993 Canada was the first country to issue its own laws. Canada recognizes women fleeing domestic violence, honor killing, sex slavery, genital cutting, and rape committed during war as eligible conditions for asylee status. The courts of New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Australia have also granted asylum in such cases. Early in 2007, Spain passed a gender-equity law, and now accepts asylum claims for gender-based persecution. In the United States, Attorney General Janet Reno recommended guidelines but to date none have been enacted. Resources on this topic:

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Refugee and Asylee Glossary

  • Asylee -- Person admitted to the United States because s/he is unable or unwilling to return to their country of nationality due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on their race, religion, membership in a social group, political opinion, or national origin. Asylees apply when already in the United States or at a point of entry. They may apply for permanent resident status one year after being granted asylee status.
  • Entrant -- Person granted parole status by DHS as a Cuban/Haitian entrant or granted any other special status subsequently established under the immigration laws for nationals of Cuba or Haiti regardless of the status of the individual at the time assistance or services are provided; and any other national of Cuba or Haiti paroled into the United States, or who has an application for asylum pending, and to whom a final, non-appealable, and legally enforceable order of deportation or exclusion has been entered.
  • Refoulement -- The expulsion of persons who have the right to be recognized as refugees.
  • Refugee -- Person admitted to United States because s/he is unable or unwilling to return to the country of nationality due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, membership in a social group, political opinion, or national origin. Refugees apply for admission at a facility overseas and may apply for permanent resident status one year after being granted admission.

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Additional Resources on Refugees and Asylees

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