Refugee Act

Refugee Act
Other short titles	Refugee Act of 1980
Long title	An Act to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the procedures for the admission of refugees, to amend the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 to establish a more uniform basis for the provision of assistance to refugees, and for other purposes.
Nicknames	Refugee Act of 1979
Enacted by	the 96th United States Congress
Effective	March 17, 1980
Citations
Public law	96-212
Statutes at Large	94 Stat. 102
Codification
Acts amended	Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952; Migration and Refugee Assistance Act;
Titles amended	8 U.S.C.: Aliens and Nationality
U.S.C. sections amended	8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. I § 1101 et seq.; 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. II §§ 1157-1159; 8 U.S.C. ch. 12, subch. IV § 1521 et seq.;
Legislative history
	Introduced in the Senate as S. 643 by Ted Kennedy (D–MA) on March 13, 1979; Committee consideration by Senate Judiciary, House Judiciary; Passed the Senate on September 6, 1979 (85-0); Passed the House on December 20, 1979 (328-47, in lieu of H.R. 2816); Reported by the joint conference committee on February 22, 1980; agreed to by the Senate on February 26, 1980 (agreed) and by the House on March 4, 1980 (211-195); Signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on March 17, 1980;

The United States Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-212) is an amendment to the earlier Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and was created to provide a permanent and systematic procedure for the admission to the United States of refugees of special humanitarian concern to the U.S., and to provide comprehensive and uniform provisions for the effective resettlement and absorption of those refugees who are admitted.^[1] The act was completed on March 3, 1980, was signed by President Jimmy Carter on March 17, 1980, and became effective on April 1, 1980. This was the first comprehensive amendment of U.S. general immigration laws designed to face up to the realities of modern refugee situations by stating a clear-cut national policy and providing a flexible mechanism to meet the rapidly shifting developments of today's world policy.^[2] The main objectives of the act were to create a new, American definition of refugee based on the one created at the 1951 UN Convention and 1967 Protocol on the Status of Refugees; raise the limitation from 17,400 to 50,000 refugees admitted each fiscal year; provide emergency procedures for when that number exceeds 50,000; require annual consultation between Congress and the President on refugee admissions; and establish the Office of U.S. Coordinator for Refugee Affairs and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Most importantly, it established explicit procedures on how to deal with refugees in the U.S. by creating a uniform and effective resettlement and absorption policy.^[3]

^ Refugee Act of 1980. Pub. L. 96-212. 94 Stat. 102. 17 March 1980. Print. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-94/pdf/STATUTE-94-Pg102.pdf.
^ Roberts, Maurice A. (1982). "The U.S. and Refugees: The Refugee Act of 1980". Issue. 12 (1–2): 4–6. doi:10.2307/1166528. ISSN 0047-1607.
^ Kennedy, Edward M. (March 1981). "Refugee Act of 1980". International Migration Review. 15 (1–2): 141–156. doi:10.1177/0197918381015001-217. ISSN 0197-9183.

[:0-1] Refugee Act of 1980. Pub. L. 96-212. 94 Stat. 102. 17 March 1980. Print. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-94/pdf/STATUTE-94-Pg102.pdf.

[:1-2] Roberts, Maurice A. (1982). "The U.S. and Refugees: The Refugee Act of 1980". Issue. 12 (1–2): 4–6. doi:10.2307/1166528. ISSN 0047-1607.

[:2-3] Kennedy, Edward M. (March 1981). "Refugee Act of 1980". International Migration Review. 15 (1–2): 141–156. doi:10.1177/0197918381015001-217. ISSN 0197-9183.

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