Washington Watch

Refugee Protection Act of 2016 Could Provide Much Needed Reforms

On July 14 the Refugee Protection Act of 2016 was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Representative Zoe Lofgren of California. The bill is seen by many as especially necessary since the world is currently facing the largest refugee crisis since World War II.

If passed, the bill would strengthen and reform U.S. laws pertaining to refugees and asylum seekers and provide much-needed protections including due process and the prioritization of family unity. It would also bring our current resettlement program into the 21^st century.

Here are a few of the bill’s highlights as reported by HIAS:

• Keep more refugee families together by facilitating family reunification and by ensuring that children can be admitted with their parents or a caretaker;
• Ensure that data is collected through every step of the resettlement process so that government officials can better coordinate with state refugee programs, community-based organizations and national resettlement agencies;
• Authorize the president to designate certain vulnerable groups of refugees for resettlement consideration;
• Ensure that all immigrant children in government custody are seen by trained child welfare professionals;
• Increase the numbers of visas for victims of crimes and trafficking, and ensure that they can work while they are waiting for their status to be resolved;
• Guarantee that all migrants are provided information about their rights in a language that they can understand.
• Amend the definition of ‘material support’ for terrorism so that it no longer erroneously excludes innocent refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are victims of terrorism, from seeking protection in the U.S.

http://www.hias.org/blog/new-bill-would-strengthen-update-refugee-law

To view the complete text of the Refugee Protection Act of 2016, please click here.

 

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