Religion & Law

President Sets Refugee Numbers for FY 2021 With Emphasis On Persecuted Minority Religions

By Howard M. Friedman

In a Memorandum (full text) issued on Oct. 27, President Trump set the number of refugees to be admitted to the United States in FY 2021 (July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021) as 15,000.  Of this number, 6,000 are unused spaces from FY 2020 that were not used because of the COVID-19 crisis.  The Presidential Determination set out in the Memorandum places particular emphasis on refugees who are the subject of religious persecution. 

5,000 of the spots are designated for refugees who have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion, or who are admissible under the Lautenberg and Specter Amendments. Those amendments cover, among others, religious minorities in Iran.

4,000 of the spots are designated for refugees covered by the Refugee Crisis in Iraq Act of 2007 (12 Stat. 395). This includes Iraqis who were employed by the United States and Iraqis who are members of a persecuted religious or minority community.

5,000 of the spots are designated for others admitted under the United States Refugee Admissions Program.

The President's Memorandum also provides:

Additionally, I specify that persons from certain high-risk areas of terrorist presence or control, including Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, shall not be admitted as refugees, except those refugees of special humanitarian concern:  (1) who have been persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of religion; ... [and certain other exceptions].

Full post as published by Religion Clause on October 29, 2020 (boomark / email).