What is the US refugee resettlement program?
The US Refugee Resettlement Program is a critical tool for refugee protection, providing tens of thousands of refugees each year with the opportunity to settle permanently in the United States.The United States is the global leader in refugee resettlement. Historically, the US accepts annually more refugees than all other countries combined. For instance, in FY 2000, the US resettled over 73,000 refugees, 45,000 more refugees than all other resettlement countries combined that year.Nevertheless, US refugee admissions have steadily declined over the past decade for a variety of reasons, falling from a total of 112,811 admitted in FY 1991 to only 52,868 admitted in FY 2004. While steps have been taken to increase refugee admissions, much more needs to be done to ensure the continuance of a robust US Refugee Resettlement Program.
