S.Res. 775

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 775 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 775

Reaffirming the importance of the United States promoting the safety, 
health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons in the United 
States and around the world.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

June 17, 2026

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. 
Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, 
Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Reed, 
Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Reaffirming the importance of the United States promoting the safety, 
health, and well-being of refugees and displaced persons in the United 
States and around the world.

Whereas June 20, 2026, is an international day designated by the United Nations 
as ``World Refugee Day'', to recognize refugees around the globe and 
celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to 
flee their homes to escape conflict or persecution due to their race, 
religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular 
social group;
Whereas July 28, 2026, is the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention 
relating to the Status of Refugees, held at Geneva on July 28, 1951, a 
landmark achievement that codified a definition for ``refugee'', 
established the foundational principle of non-refoulement, and outlined 
the rights of refugees and the legal obligations of nation states to 
protect such rights;
Whereas, in 2026, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (referred to 
in this preamble as ``UNHCR'') reported that, as of the end of 2025--

(1) there were more than 117,000,000 displaced people who had been 
forced from their homes worldwide, including more than 41,600,000 refugees, 
9,000,000 asylum seekers, and 68,700,000 internally displaced persons;

(2) 68 percent of all refugees worldwide were hosted in low- and 
middle-income countries and fewer than 1 percent of refugees are ever 
resettled;

(3) 70 percent of all refugees worldwide were in protracted situations, 
having been forcibly displaced from their country of origin for at least 5 
years;

(4) approximately 1,300,000 Syrian refugees returned to Syria during 
2025 out of the roughly 6,000,000 Syrian refugees as of the end of 2024 who 
had been displaced by years of conflict;

(5) nearly 2,000,000 internally displaced Syrians returned to their 
area of origin, but Syria remains affected by one of the largest 
humanitarian crises in the world, despite positive political changes and 
renewed hope for returns following the fall of the Assad regime at the end 
of 2024;

(6) approximately 8,900,000 Ukrainians had been forcibly displaced as a 
result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, including 5,200,000 
Ukrainian refugees, which represents an increase compared to the end of 
2024;

(7) there were an estimated 3,700,000 Afghan refugees around the world, 
representing a decrease compared to the end of 2024 in part due to 
restrictive government policies toward Afghans in certain refugee-hosting 
countries, which placed vulnerable Afghans, including women and girls, at 
risk of persecution;

(8) approximately 11,900,000 people were forcibly displaced due to the 
ongoing conflict in Sudan, including 9,100,000 internally displaced 
persons, representing the largest internal displacement crisis globally, 
and an estimated 2,800,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring countries, 
many of whom are women or children;

(9) there were more than 6,000,000 people displaced from Venezuela, the 
majority of whom were being hosted in Latin America;

(10) more than 1,400,000 people had been forcibly displaced in Haiti 
due to widespread violence, representing a nearly 40 percent increase 
compared to the end of 2024;

(11) more than 90 percent of the population of Gaza (approximately 
2,000,000 people) had been internally displaced since October 2023;

(12) the Democratic Republic of the Congo had one of the largest 
internal displacement crises, with 3,900,000 people newly displaced due to 
the ongoing conflict even as 3,600,000 people returned to their area of 
origin, often involuntarily, due to the forced closure of internal 
displacement settlements by the de facto authorities;

(13) an estimated 1,200,000 Rohingya refugees resided in Bangladesh, 
constituting the largest refugee settlement in the world, with thousands 
more Rohingya refugees residing in nearby countries; and

(14) in the Sahel region, which encompasses Burkina Faso, Mali, and 
Niger, an estimated 3,900,000 people were forcibly displaced;

Whereas the vast majority of people fleeing persecution do not have access to 
refugee resettlement and instead must seek protection through asylum or 
other humanitarian relief;
Whereas welcoming people from around the world who have been oppressed and 
persecuted is a tenet of our Nation and the United States is home to a 
diverse population of refugees and immigrants who contribute to the 
economic strengths and cultural richness of our communities;
Whereas, since seeking asylum is a protected right under United States domestic 
and international law, the United States is legally obligated to 
contribute to the maintenance of a humane and functioning international 
asylum system;
Whereas the principle of non-refoulement is also a central tenet of the United 
States refugee and asylum systems and thousands of people living in the 
United States who immigrated from countries around the world would be 
subject to harm if they were deported to their countries of origin or to 
third countries due to widespread conflict or persecution in such 
countries;
Whereas the United States Refugee Admissions Program, which was established in 
1980--

(1) is a lifesaving pillar of global humanitarian efforts;

(2) advances United States national security and foreign policy goals; 
and

(3) supports regional host countries;

Whereas Executive Order 14163 (90 Fed. Reg. 8459; relating to realigning the 
United States Refugee Admissions Program), which was issued on January 
20, 2025, indefinitely suspending all refugee admissions to the United 
States, remains in place and continues to put at risk the lives and 
well-being of refugees fleeing violence and persecution, including 
Iranians, Afghans, Burmese Rohingya, Sudanese, and Somalis;
Whereas President Trump set the fiscal year 2026 Presidential Determination on 
Refugee Admissions at a record low of 7,500 individuals, prioritizing 
the resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa, such that Afrikaners 
made up over 95 percent of arrivals during fiscal year 2026 as of May 
2026;
Whereas President Trump's decision to increase the fiscal year 2026 Presidential 
Determination on Refugee Admissions by 10,000, exclusively for the 
resettlement of Afrikaners from South Africa, is a politically motivated 
and unjust decision that excludes those most in need of protection, 
including tens of thousands of already approved and thoroughly vetted 
refugees who have fled persecution;
Whereas the Trump administration has failed to implement the Lautenberg-Specter 
Program, which Congress reauthorized for fiscal year 2026, to screen and 
admit religious minorities in the former Soviet Union and Iran who are 
facing persecution and discrimination, including 15,000 religious 
minorities in Iran;
Whereas the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to United States foreign 
assistance have reduced support to refugees abroad, including through 
the reduction in food rations to refugees in camps, threatening to 
destabilize fragile situations;
Whereas, as of June 2026, the ongoing refugee admissions ban remains in effect;
Whereas--

(1) more than 100,000 refugees who had been conditionally approved for 
refugee status by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services remain 
indefinitely stranded;

(2) more than 22,000 refugees who were considered ``ready for 
departure'' and who had completed all necessary medical checks, security 
screenings, and interviews remain indefinitely stranded;

(3) more than 12,000 refugees who had flights booked to travel to the 
United States, many of whom had begun to move and sell belongings in 
preparation for their resettlement, remain indefinitely stranded; and

(4) more than 800 Afghan allies, about \1/2\ of whom are women and 
children, evacuated to the Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar are refugees, who have 
a clear path to resettle in the United States, but remain indefinitely 
stranded;

Whereas the Trump administration's actions to detain dozens of approved 
refugees, who underwent years of vetting prior to approval and traveled 
thousands of miles from home to reexamine their refugee cases, only to 
determine once again that they were properly approved for refugee 
status, was a violation of our Nation's laws and commitments to 
refugees;
Whereas the Constitution of the United States protects all individuals within 
its jurisdiction, regardless of citizenship status and should afford 
noncitizens in the United States, including refugees and asylum seekers, 
full due process before deportation or other adverse action affecting 
their protection;
Whereas attempts to suspend refugee admissions, bar individuals based on 
religion or nationality, or implement blanket asylum bans and 
indiscriminate removal or detention policies are inconsistent with the 
Constitution of the United States, the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 
96-212), our treaty obligations, and established international human 
rights norms;
Whereas resettlement is an essential part of a comprehensive strategy to respond 
to refugee crises, promote regional stability, and strengthen United 
States national security;
Whereas resettlement to the United States is available for the most vulnerable 
refugees who undergo rigorous security vetting and medical screening 
processes;
Whereas the United States supports the efforts of the UNHCR to increase 
protection for, and the global resettlement of, LGBTQI+ refugees 
overseas;
Whereas women and girls have an increased risk of sexual violence, exploitation, 
and trafficking while they are traveling to seek safe living conditions;
Whereas, according to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services, 
between 2005 and 2019, refugees and asylees in the United States 
contributed an estimated $581,000,000,000 in total revenue across all 
levels of government;
Whereas most refugees integrate and quickly become self-sufficient members of 
their respective communities by joining the workforce, paying taxes, 
supporting local commerce, helping to address labor demand in critical 
industries, and creating new jobs; and
Whereas robust funding for international and domestic protection and assistance 
for refugees and other displaced populations bolsters United States 
national security, foreign policy, economic, and humanitarian interests: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the urgency to establish and follow 
comprehensive, fair, and humane policies to address forced 
migration and refugee challenges;
(2) reaffirms the bipartisan commitment of the United 
States to promote the safety, health, and well-being of 
millions of refugees and asylum seekers, including the 
education of refugee children and displaced persons fleeing 
war, persecution, or torture in search of protection, peace, 
hope, and freedom;
(3) recognizes the many individuals who have risked their 
lives working, either individually or on behalf of 
nongovernmental organizations or international agencies, such 
as UNHCR, to provide lifesaving assistance and protection for 
people around the world who have been displaced from their 
homes;
(4) reaffirms the imperative to fully restore United States 
asylum protections enshrined in the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public 
Law 96-212) by rejecting harmful bans and restrictions that 
limit refugees' access to protections and due process at the 
United States border;
(5) reaffirms the importance of the United States Refugee 
Admissions Program as a critical tool of the United States 
Government--
(A) to strengthen national and regional security; 
and
(B) to encourage international solidarity with host 
countries;
(6) calls upon President Trump to lift the indefinite 
suspension of the United States Refugee Admissions Program and 
to fully restore resettlement to the United States; and
(7) calls upon the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations--
(A) to uphold the United States international 
leadership role in responding to displacement crises 
with humanitarian assistance and to strengthen its 
leadership role in the protection of vulnerable refugee 
populations that endure gender-based violence, torture, 
human trafficking, persecution, violence against 
religious minorities, forced conscription, genocide, 
and exploitation;
(B) to work in partnership with the international 
community to find solutions to existing conflicts, 
prevent new conflicts from emerging, and tackle the 
root causes of involuntary migration;
(C) to increase support for the efforts of the 
UNHCR and advance the work of nongovernmental 
organizations to protect refugees and asylum seekers 
regardless of their country of origin, race, ethnicity, 
or religious beliefs;
(D) to increase efforts to alleviate pressures, 
through humanitarian and development assistance, on 
frontline refugee host countries that absorb the 
majority of the world's refugees, while effectively 
advocating for refugee well-being, including access to 
education and livelihoods;
(E) to meaningfully include refugees and displaced 
populations in creating and achieving the policy 
solutions affecting them;
(F) to respond to the global refugee crisis by 
meeting robust refugee admissions goals;
(G) to implement the United States pledges made at 
the Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva in December 
2023 to expand refugee protection;
(H) to address barriers faced by refugees with 
disabilities by ensuring accessible infrastructure and 
the availability of disability-related services and 
social protection schemes; and
(I) to reaffirm the goals of ``World Refugee Day'' 
and reiterate the United States strong commitment to 
protect refugees and asylum seekers who live without 
adequate material, social, or legal protections.
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