Explore histories of migration, citizenship and belonging in Germany and the U.S. over the centuries.
1980
Increased Asylum as U.N. Definition of Refugee Adopted
The 1980 Refugee Act was prompted by a surge in refugees and streamlined the U.S. admissions process, incorporating the UN's refugee definition into law. It offered relief to refugees from various regions, created the Federal Refugee Resettlement Program, and challenged the Cold War-era practice of favoring communist country refugees. It expanded the annual admission ceiling from 17,400 to 50,000 and increased assistance for newcomers. In 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno extended the act to recognize lesbians and gays as a "social group," marking a crucial step toward inclusion and protection for LGBTQ+ refugees.
The Refugee Act of 1980 was passed unanimously by Senate in late 1979 and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. This act was passed as a result of members of Congress wanting a more regulated system of immigration following the large numbers of immigration following the Vietnam War.
United States
Sources
The Refugee Act. Office of Refugee Resettlement. Date accessed: September 12, 2015.
Deborah E. Anker, Michael H. Posner,. “Forty Year Crisis: A Legislative History of the Refugee Act of 1980”. San Diego L. Rev. 19. Edition 9. 1981.
Daniel Tichenor. Dividing Lines: The Politics of Immigration Control in America. USA: Princeton University Press, 2009.
National Archives Foundation
