Under USRAP, the president sets the ceiling on the number of refugees the United States will accept in a given year, and Congress appropriates the necessary funds in line with that ceiling. The appropriated funds cover the cost of the federal government’s commitment to a 90-day process whereby refugees receive support for their resettlement with the goal of self-sufficiency.
The State Department then disperses the appropriated funds to private refugee resettlement organizations, which carry out these functions as stipulated by the federal government.
Additionally, refugee resettlement organizations raise donations and recruit volunteers to provide additional support services to refugees, many of which extend beyond the initial 90-day resettlement period and are aimed at helping refugees achieve economic independence and social integration.
Important to note is that anyone who is assigned to resettlement organizations has already undergone the process of receiving legal status as a refugee.
The Difference Between an Asylum Seeker and a Refugee
Under United States law, anyone has the right to seek asylum if they fear persecution in their home country. However, not all asylum seekers are granted refugee status. In fact, most are not.
When it comes to those who are resettled under USRAP, these individuals have already been granted refugee status before entering the country. Usually, they are referred to the United States by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after it is determined that their circumstances qualify them as a refugee.
However, this is only the beginning of the process. After a prospective refugee is referred to the United States by the U.S. Embassy, the U.N., or an nongovernmental organization, they must undergo stringent vetting procedures. These include:
- A number of security checks run by law enforcement and intelligence agencies
- A face-to-face interview with a U.S. Homeland Security officer to detail their circumstances
- A medical screening
- Assignment to a U.S. resettlement organization
- A cultural orientation
- A second security screening
- A final airport check to confirm the identity of the refugee(s)
After refugees undergo this process, they are granted legal status. Once they arrive in the United States, they are met at the airport by representatives of a resettlement organization to begin their resettlement process.
Sometimes these refugees come as individuals. Other times, they come as a closely related family unit, and the limitations on the size of this unit usually restrict it to spouses and their children.
Who Are These Refugees?
The refugees who are accepted into the United States have diverse stories and backgrounds, but all of them are fleeing legitimate persecution on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, or membership of a given group.
Vast numbers of these refugees are fleeing persecution on account of their Christian faith, although adherents of other faiths are included as well. Sometimes, refugees are fleeing their countries for more than one reason—for example, their race and religion—and it can be difficult to determine which identifying feature puts them at the greatest risk of danger.
