Presents the recommendations of the Refugee Council USA to the U.S. Department of State concerning the admission of refugees to be resettled in the United States in fiscal year 2004. After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., heightened security measures had an unintentional and disproportionate impact on those who are the weakest and most vulnerable. Recommendations of the Council, a nongovernmental coalition of organizations dedicated to refugee protection, include: ensuring adequate resources to verify family relationships and facilitate reunion for refugee families; allowing “long-stayers” in refugee camps who have no hope of returning home to take advantage of refugee admission slots that would otherwise remain unused each fiscal year; making best-interest assessments to determine the durable solutions, including resettlement, that fit the needs of separated refugee minors; and working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to accelerate efforts to identify and refer refugees in need of resettlement protection. The report also highlights the pressing needs of persecuted or threatened ethnic minorities in such countries as Bangladesh, China, Columbia, Ethiopia, the Ivory Coast, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, and Yemen. The U.S. refugee program requires substantial restructuring to fulfill the country’s commitment to improving conditions for refugees worldwide.
