The United States is slamming its door shut. On the other side are refugees.
On January 20, the Administration announced an indefinite suspension of the United States Refugee Admissions Program. The Executive Order, Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program, will bring refugee resettlement to a halt on January 27, 2025. The action marks a crushing renouncement of the country’s role as a stronghold of safety and protection for people who have fled the worst.
“No one leaves home unless home chases you. Fire under feet. Hot blood in your belly. It’s not something you ever thought of doing. Until the blade burnt threats into your neck.”
– Warsan Shire, excerpt from “Home”
Who are Refugees?
Every day across the globe, armed conflicts, oppressive regimes, and humanitarian crises force people to make the impossible decision to leave home in search of a safer and better life. For many, the decision is to survive. Over 120 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide—an unprecedented number that continues to grow. More than 43 million of those displaced are refugees.
The term ‘refugee’ describes a person who has been forced to flee their home country due to war, violence, conflict, or persecution and crossed an international border to seek safety in another country. Refugees can be any age and there are an estimated 19 million refugee children around the world. As defined in the1951 Refugee Convention, the term ‘refugee’ applies to a person who
“owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”
The 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol not only define the term ‘refugee,’ but also outline the rights and protections refugees are entitled to.