The Fragile U.S. Refugee Resettlement System
Reason magazine|February 2025
IN FY 2024, the U.S. resettled 100,034 refugees—the highest number in 30 years and about nine times the number resettled in FY 2021. The 2024 tally is a reason to celebrate and a reminder that refugee resettlement is highly subject to presidential whims.
Fiona Harrigan
The Fragile U.S. Refugee Resettlement System

America’s modern refugee resettlement system was established in 1980. The U.S. legally defines a refugee as someone who is living outside of his home country and can’t or won’t return to that country because of previous or potential persecution based on certain criteria, such as race, religion, or political opinion. The U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees since 1980. The year-by-year level has varied dramatically due to the president’s powerful role in shaping refugee admissions.

“More than in other areas of immigration, in which Congress sets caps on the number of annual visas and admissions, the president has wide latitude to determine the maximum number of refugees admitted each year (and from where), in consultation with Congress,” notes an analysis by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a nonpartisan think tank.

Denne historien er fra February 2025-utgaven av Reason magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2025-utgaven av Reason magazine.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA REASON MAGAZINESe alt
THE REAL THREAT IS AN ISOLATED CHINA
Reason magazine

THE REAL THREAT IS AN ISOLATED CHINA

DECOUPLING FROM TRADE WILL MAKE THE U.S. POORER AND CHINA MORE TOTALITARIAN.

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
Against Our Own Best Souls'
Reason magazine

Against Our Own Best Souls'

SISTER HELEN PREJEAN ON HERLIFE ASA WITNESS ON DEATH ROW

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
'THE POLITICS HAVE COME TO US'
Reason magazine

'THE POLITICS HAVE COME TO US'

HOW A CHRISTIAN CHARITY IN EL PASO ENDED UP AT WAR WITH THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT FOR HELPING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
MATERIEL LOSS
Reason magazine

MATERIEL LOSS

HOW THE U.S. MILITARY BUSTS ITS BUDGET ON WASTEFUL, CARELESS, AND UNNECESSARY 'SELF-LICKING ICE CREAM CONES'

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
'NOT A SUICIDE PACT'
Reason magazine

'NOT A SUICIDE PACT'

HOW A 1949 SUPREME COURT DISSENT GAVE BIRTH TO A MEME THAT SUBVERTS FREE SPEECH AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
HOW MUSK CAN HELP TRUMP CUT TRILLIONS
Reason magazine

HOW MUSK CAN HELP TRUMP CUT TRILLIONS

DURING PRESIDENT DONALD Trump’s first term in office, the national debt increased by $8 trillion—due, in large part, to huge spending hikes that Congress passed and Trump signed.

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2025
THE IMPROBABLE RISE OF MAGA-MUSK
Reason magazine

THE IMPROBABLE RISE OF MAGA-MUSK

IS ELON MUSK A REACTIONARY WITHA DEFECTIVE BULLSHIT METER OR THE BEST PART OF THE SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION?

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
A Free-Range Family
Reason magazine

A Free-Range Family

RIGHT NOW, CHILDHOOD is intensely meh. Maybe you read the recent report in The Journal of Pediatrics that said that as kids' independence and free play have gone down, their anxiety and depression have been going up.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
Educulture Wars
Reason magazine

Educulture Wars

THE CULTURE WAR is costing school districts billions, according to a report released in October 2024 by the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access. The report surveyed superintendents at 467 school districts nationwide about extra expenditures they undertook because of increased conflict over culture war issues such as critical race theory, book chal- lenges, gender-related debates, and other politicized topics. The report estimates that such fights cost school districts around $3.2 billion during the 2023-2024 school year.

time-read
1 min  |
February 2025
Q&A Penny Lane
Reason magazine

Q&A Penny Lane

PENNY LANE'S NEW Netflix documentary, Confessions of a Good Samaritan, delves into her life-changing decision to donate a kidney to a stranger. Known for her thoughtful and provocative storytelling, Lane has explored human connection and empathy in films such as Hail Satan? and The Pain of Others. Last October she spoke with Reason's Nick Gillespie and shared her emotional, physical, and philosophical experience with anonymous kidney donation and the challenges that came with it.

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2025