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I. Birth of a Humanitarian Mandate The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950, by the United Nations General Assembly as a temporary agency to assist millions displaced by the devastation of World War II. Initially, it was granted a three-year mandate, reflecting the hope that postwar displacement would soon be resolved. Few could have foreseen that seventy-five years later, UNHCR would still exist—larger, more complex, and

Introduction The modern refugee system is the product of decades of international cooperation, legal negotiation, and moral reckoning. From the ashes of World War II to the crises of Syria, Sudan, and Ukraine, global treaties and institutions have sought to translate compassion into law. Yet, while international law provides a structure for protection, the world continues to face new and complex challenges—from climate displacement to protracted refugee situations. This artic

Introduction In the United States, refugee admission and protection are governed almost entirely by federal law. However, once refugees arrive, states play a vital role in helping them rebuild their lives through education, health, and integration programs. Understanding where federal authority ends and state responsibility begins is essential to ensuring effective refugee support. Federal Control Over Refugee Status The power to admit and define refugees lies exclusively wit

Introduction Immigration policy often reflects broader diplomatic and economic relationships. For the United States and South Korea, two...

Introduction For many immigrants and their families, the word deportation  carries enormous weight. The legal process, formally known as...

Introduction In July 2025, Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX) introduced the Dignity Act of 2025 ,...

Introduction The U.S. asylum system is undergoing substantial transformations due to political divisions, emerging technologies, and complex global immigration patterns. Recently, there have been significant shifts in enforcement and the adoption of contentious digital tools. As the U.S. handles the increasing volume of asylum claims, it confronts a crucial question: Can technological and policy adjustments develop a system that is both efficient and compassionate? This artic

Introduction In recent years, the United States has turned more to policies like "safe third country" agreements to handle asylum claims. These "safe third country" agreements have led to a debate about the national commitment to non-refoulement. This is the international legal principle that prevents the return of individuals to places where they could face harm. This article examines the safe third-country policies, their origins and applications, the legal obligations unde

Introduction For asylum seekers escaping persecution,  the journey to safety often continues behind bars. The United States is one of the few developed countries that routinely detains asylum seekers while their claims are examined. Authorities state that detention is necessary to ensure compliance with immigration rules. In truth, it often feels more like punishment, resulting in significant human, legal, and financial costs. This article examines the evolution of the U.S. a

Introduction In theory, the U.S. asylum process follows a uniform legal standard: a well-founded fear of persecution. In practice, however, the outcome of an asylum claim can depend as much on the assigned judge or officer as on the case itself. This discrepancy issue, often referred to as "refugee roulette," highlights major inconsistencies in the U.S. asylum cases. Such subjective variations between immigration courts, along with the influence of local politics and judges'

Introduction The United States has long portrayed itself as a sanctuary for the persecuted, yet shifting ideologies, court decisions, and global crises have shaped the legal systems that govern refugee and asylum admissions. At the core of the modern framework lies the Refugee Act of 1980, a landmark piece of legislation that aligned U.S. policy with international refugee standards and established the legal and bureaucratic structures still in use today. This article provides

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, large parts of the African continent were devastated by civil wars, ethnic violence, and authoritarian regimes. From Rwanda and Somalia to Liberia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), these wars and conflicts triggered mass displacement, with millions seeking refuge both within the continent and across the globe, including the United States. This chapter of the U.S. Refugee History Series examines how these African wars

The Korean War (1950–1953), often termed “The Forgotten War,” left an indelible mark on global geopolitics and on the lives of millions...

Introduction The Vietnam War (1955–1975), one of the most devastating conflicts of the Cold War era, left indelible marks not only on Southeast Asia but also on global refugee policy and migration patterns. As U.S. military involvement ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975, a massive refugee crisis unfolded, displacing millions of Vietnamese. This article explores the history of the Vietnamese refugee population, particularly their resettlement in the United States, the forma

Throughout its history, the United States has been both a sanctuary and a battleground in the global politics of war-induced displacement. While its geography has largely spared it from hosting refugees fleeing domestic wars, its foreign policies, military interventions, and international alliances have often placed it at the center of major refugee crises. From the Revolutionary era to the 21st century, successive waves of war refugees have shaped American society, culture,

Introduction The 21st century has witnessed continued—and in many ways, intensified—refugee crises driven by war, political instability, and persecution. While the global community now possesses formal international refugee frameworks and humanitarian institutions, the post–Cold War world remains plagued by state collapse, prolonged civil wars, terrorism, and climate-induced insecurity. Conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Ukraine, and Myanmar have produced some of t

The 20th century witnessed refugee movements on an unprecedented scale. While war had caused forced migrations in earlier periods, the...

The modern era, broadly spanning the 18th and 19th centuries, witnessed a transformation in both the nature of warfare and the scale of...

Throughout the Medieval and Early Modern periods, war remained a principal driver of mass displacement. Spanning from roughly the 5th to...

War has always left more than just ruins and shifting borders—it leaves people, real people, suddenly without homes, without safety, and...