About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

23 Refugee Reports 1 (2002)

handle is hein.immigration/refgrpt0023 and id is 1 raw text is: A News Service of the Immigration and Refugee Services of Amesica Rfugee Reports VOLUME 23, NUMBER 1 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2002 PRM and INS Pl 6 Adiif up to 70,000 Refugees in FY 2002, Advocates Propose New Measures February marked a flurry of action aimed at getting the U.S. refugee resettlement program back up and running after its suspension and slow resumption following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Concerned that another decline in admissions this year could have an immediate impact on vulnerable refugees and long-term conse- quences for the program, refugee advocates and repre- sentatives of the U.S. government agencies who adminis- ter the program discussed plans to jump-start admissions this year. They also proposed ways to address long-term problems that have contributed to a trend of declining admissions ceilings and significant shortfalls. The U.S. refugee program officially resumed in late November after President Bush signed a presidential de- termination authorizing 70,000 refugee admissions for FY 2002 following an interagency security review of the refu- gee program. However, it did so at a snail's pace. By January's end, four months into the fiscal year, 2,789 refu- gees (four percent of the 70,000 authorized) had come to the United States. More than 16,000 refugees entered during the same period last year. As a result, tens of thou- sands of refugees remain in dangerous situations overseas, including more than 15,000 who were approved for U.S. admission before September 11. The delay in arrivals was been caused, in part, by new security enhancements to the U.S. refugee program approved by the Homeland Security Council in Novem- ber and carried out largely by the Immigration and Natu- ralization Service (INS) and the State Department's Bu- reau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). These include: enhanced background checks for refugee appli- cants; verification of claimed relationships in family re- unification cases; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) review of selected refugee applications; and fingerprint- ing of all refugees arriving at the four U.S. ports of entry (POE) designated for arriving refugees. (See Refugee Re- ports, Vol. 22. No. 12.) The enhanced background checks call for FBI Se- curity Advisory Opinions (SAOs) to be completed be- fore the INS can interview members of certain national- ity groups. SAO clearance usually takes several months. The new measures also preclude refugees in family re- unification cases from traveling to the United States until the INS has verified the claimed relationship of the an- chor relative in the United States petitioning on their behalf This is delaying the processing of refugees in such cases, while the INS reviews each Affidavit of Relation- ship (AOR) filed by a U.S. anchor relative. IN THIS ISSUE: This issue brings a new look and an expanded focus to Refugee Reports. For many years, Refugee Reports has been a trusted source of current information about international refugee issues. We hope to continue bringing our readers reliable data and analysis from the field and information on new resources and research, as well as regular updates on current issues of interest to the domestic resettlement community. In this issue, Alyson Springer continues our coverage of efforts to get the U.S. refugee resettlement program back up and running at full capacity. Your comments and suggestions are welcome as we expand our coverage. Send us an e-mail at rr@irsa-uscr.org or write to Refugee Reports, 1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 200,Washington, D.C. 20036. Lavinia Lim6n, Executive Director, Immigration & Refugee Services of America i -

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most