Appendix E: Overview of U.S. Refugee Policy

Resettlement, including in the United States, is appropriate for refugees in urgent need of protection and for refugees for whom other durable solutions are inappropriate or unavailable. The United States considers for admission as refugees persons of special humanitarian concern who can establish that they experienced past persecution or have a well-founded fear of future persecution in their home country on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. The legal basis of the refugee admissions program is the Refugee Act of 1980, which embodies the American tradition of granting refuge to diverse groups suffering from, or fearing, persecution. The act adopted the definition of "refugee" contained in the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. The following describes the program's efforts, by region, in meeting the needs of refugees worldwide who have faced religious persecution.

The U.S. admissions program processes refugee cases referred by UNHCR, U.S. embassies, and certain NGOs and works closely with them to strengthen this referral process.

Africa

For the majority of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, religious freedom is the norm, even where other conflicts hold sway or where there has been communal violence along sectarian lines as in Nigeria. The primary exceptions have been Sudan and Eritrea.

During the 22-year civil war between "North" and "South" the Government of Sudan conducted or tolerated attacks on civilians, indiscriminate bombing raids, and slave raids in the south, all with a religious as well as an ethnic dimension. Although the conflict in Darfur involves human rights abuses based on ethnic differences, it lacks the religious dimensions of the North-South conflict. With the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the North-South conflict, an interim National Constitution entered into force that includes specific religious freedom guarantees. The country remains in a state of political transition; however, the Government of National Unity has continued to impose restrictions on non-Muslims in the north, while permitting the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) to develop a secular administration respecting the rights of Christians, Muslims, and others in the south. During Fiscal Year 2006, 1,848 Sudanese refugees who had found refuge in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya (primarily) were resettled in the United States. With the end of the North-South conflict and the current peace prospects in southern Sudan, efforts are now focused primarily on repatriation of refugees to Southern Sudan. However, UNHCR continues to refer a limited number of Sudanese refugees in need of protection for consideration by the U.S refugee admissions program.

The Government of Eritrea continues to engage in systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom, including harassing, arresting, and detaining members of independent evangelical groups (including Pentecostals), Jehovah's Witnesses, and a reform movement within the Eritrean Orthodox Church. It also sought greater control over the four approved religious groups: the Eritrean Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church of Eritrea, and Islam. Often detainees held for their religious affiliations were not formally charged, accorded due process, or allowed access to their families, and some are reportedly held in harsh conditions that include extreme temperature fluctuations. While many were ostensibly jailed for evasion of military conscription, significant numbers were being held solely for their religious beliefs. Eritrea was one of the four countries of origin (together with Somalia, Burundi, and Liberia) that account for the majority of refugee arrivals to the United States in FY 2007.

East Asia

While many governments in East Asia permit freedom of worship, religious believers face serious persecution in some countries. The Department of State has designated Burma, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as "Countries of Particular Concern" for systematic, egregious, and ongoing violations of religious freedom.

Genuine religious freedom does not exist in the DPRK. Consistent with the intent of the North Korean Human Rights Act, the United States has recently resettled some North Korean refugees in the United States.

The Government of China either prohibits or severely restricts independent religious activities. The Government continues to suppress, intimidate, harass, detain, and imprison some followers of those religions or spiritual movements not registered with the Government, most notably the (underground) Catholic Church loyal to the Vatican, Protestant "house churches," some Muslim groups, Buddhists loyal to the Dalai Lama, and the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

In Burma the government maintains a pervasive internal security apparatus that generally infiltrates or monitors meetings and activities of all organizations, including religious groups. The government actively promotes Buddhism over other religions as a means of boosting its own legitimacy and continues harsh discrimination against members of minority religions.

In Vietnam there have been a number of significant improvements in law and practice over the past 2 years, and a vast majority of Vietnamese who wish to practice their religion do so freely, without harassment or interference. However, official oversight of recognized religions and harassment or repression of followers of some nonrecognized religions continues. Some religious practitioners, especially ethnic minorities in the Northwest Highlands, continue to suffer harassment, arbitrary detention, and physical intimidation, although reports of such incidents have declined. Vietnam has released a number of religious prisoners, but others face administrative and civil restrictions. In Laos Protestants in particular suffer occasional arrest and imprisonment.

Europe and Central Asia

In recent years the fear of newer religious groups, many of them with ties to coreligionists in other countries, has led to a backlash in a number of post-Soviet states. Most of these states regulate religious groups and activities, specifying a set of "traditional" religions with certain privileges denied to other groups. They require registration and use this as a mechanism of control; by refusing to register new denominations they make such groups vulnerable to charges of illegal association.

The U.S. refugee admission program provides resettlement opportunities to religious minority members (as identified in the Lautenberg Amendment) with close family ties to the United States. The Department of State continues to work with the UNHCR, NGOs (both faith-based and nonsectarian), human rights groups, and U.S. diplomatic missions to identify refugees for whom resettlement is appropriate, including persons who qualify under the 1980 act on religious grounds. The U.S. refugee admissions program has provided protection to Muslims, Jews, evangelical Christians, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians as well as individuals of other religious minorities.

Eastern Europe
In Belarus, and to a lesser degree in Russia, some minority religious groups suffer harassment and difficulties finding places to meet. In Belarus groups with international ties are sometimes accused of being security threats. In Russia there were indications that the security services treated the leadership of some groups as security threats. In some countries one's faith may be associated with ethnicity, patriotism, nationalism, or even with terrorism; and authorities may be suspicious of religious groups perceived as having political agendas and organizations.

Central Asia
In the case of Uzbekistan, members of Islamic groups not approved by the State are often seen as potential terrorists and suffer harassment or imprisonment; members of Christian groups with ethnic Uzbek members are seen as politically and socially destabilizing and also suffer severe harassment. In the case of Turkmenistan, although the level of harassment has decreased, the Government continues to restrict all forms of religious expression.

South Asia

Repression of religious minorities is common in some countries in South Asia. In Pakistan discriminatory legislation persists, and the Government fails to take action against religious intolerance and acts of violence and intimidation against religious minorities, including Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus, and Zikris. In India the central Government sometimes does not act swiftly to counter either societal attacks against religious minorities or attempts by some state and local governments to limit religious freedom. In Afghanistan, despite constitutional guarantees, religious freedom is limited because of legislative ambiguity, a developing judiciary, and deference to local interpretations of Shari'a Law. Years of weak democratic institutions have contributed to intolerance manifested in acts of harassment against reform-minded Muslims and religious minorities. The Department of State continues efforts to improve access to refugee processing through dialogue with NGOs organizations and human rights groups who may identify victims with valid claims based on grounds of religious persecution. The UNHCR also has addressed religious persecution issues in several regional workshops to increase the sensitivity of protection and resettlement officers to victims of religious persecution.

Near East

Repression of religious minorities is common in the Near East. In Saudi Arabia public non-Muslim worship is prohibited, as is conversion of a Muslim to another religion. In Iran members of minority religious groups continue to face arrest, harassment, and discrimination. In 2004 Congress passed a law that adds "members of a religious minority in Iran" to the list of categories of aliens who, in refugee processing, may benefit from reduced evidentiary standards for demonstrating a well-founded fear of persecution. Iranians who belong to religious minorities (Baha'is, Sufis, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Christians) are able to apply directly for U.S. resettlement processing.

The UNHCR and U.S. embassies in the region facilitate access to the admissions program for individuals of other nationalities, including those who may qualify on religious grounds. The UNHCR also has addressed religious persecution issues in several regional workshops.

Latin America/Caribbean

In general, religious freedom is widely recognized and enjoyed in Latin America. The key exception is Cuba, where the Government engages in active efforts to monitor and control religious institutions, including surveillance, infiltration, and harassment of clergy and members; evictions from and confiscation of places of worship; and preventive detention of religious activists. The Government also uses registration as a mechanism of control; by refusing to register new denominations, it makes them vulnerable to charges of illegal association. However, despite these obstacles to religious expression, church activity has grown in recent years. The U.S. refugee admissions program specifically includes religious minorities and other human rights activists among the list of eligible groups.