Since 1975, they had been getting in boats.

In the wake of the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese enduring political persecution were desperate to leave their country. Many drowned trying to escape.

The situation intensified over the next few years. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter ordered American ships to begin picking up refugees from the ramshackle boats they often used to attempt landings in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

A year later, there were even more boats.

At a June 1979 economic summit of the United States and its principal allies, President Carter took a dramatic step: announcing the U.S. would double the number of Southeast Asian refugees it accepted.

It was not a popular decision. A CBS-New York Times poll showed 62% of Americans were opposed.

“We are prepared to act with the compassion that has traditionally characterized the United States when confronted with such situations of human crisis,” Carter said in a statement. “Thousands of human lives are at stake.”

Carter’s bold action eventually led to the Refugee Act of 1980, a watershed moment for U.S. humanitarianism.

Before 1980, the U.S. operated with a set of fragmented and inconsistent policies on refugees. First, admissions were largely driven by Cold War politics, with preferential treatment for those fleeing communism (which in the case of Vietnam, did apply – though not nearly in the numbers the 1980 Act would allow). Second, there was no comprehensive legal framework to standardize the process. Third, refugee status was often determined on a case-by-case basis, leading to delays and inequities. Finally, communities accepting refugees lacked support, and NGOs often struggled to fill the gaps.

Passed unanimously by the Senate in late 1979 and signed into law by President Carter on St. Patrick’s Day 1980, the Act:

• Streamlined and standardized admissions and resettlement, codifying the government’s definition of “refugee” and bringing the U.S. into alignment with the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
• Amended the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, raising the number of refugees the U.S. could admit annually.
• Created a process for reviewing and adjusting the number of admissions in emergencies.
• Required annual consultation between Congress and the president.
• Established the Office of Refugee Resettlement to coordinate assistance.
• Instituted programs for job training, English language learners, and social services to support refugee integration – providing critical funding to states and local agencies, partnering with nonprofits and religious organizations on housing and other basic needs, and connecting refugees to volunteer community support and other resources.

Since the Act’s passage, more than 3 million refugees have been resettled in the U.S. There have been peaks and troughs in admissions due to changing political and global circumstances, and the countries from which refugees arrive have changed with shifts in regions of conflict. But our commitment to helping those facing political and religious persecution, war, and other crises has largely endured.

In 2021, on the 41st anniversary of the Act’s signing, President Carter said, in part:

“Americans know the heart of the stranger. The colonies that became the United States were founded by refugees from religious persecution… During my presidency, the world faced the greatest refugee crisis since the Second World War…. Desperate refugees were drowning and dying from exposure at our doorstep…. On this 41st anniversary of the Refugee Act, we as Americans can reflect on our decision as a nation to welcome the stranger and renew our commitment to remaining a beacon of hope for freedom-loving people everywhere.”

It should come as no surprise that JRS believes President Carter’s decision was not only morally right, but also beneficial to our country. The refugees who have joined our citizenry over the past four-and-a-half decades have become entrepreneurs, employees, and taxpayers. Refugees have helped revitalize declining communities. Their talents, traditions, and experiences have added to the arts, the range of cuisine we enjoy, and our broader cultural landscape.

The Refugee Act of 1980 solidified the US’s role as a leader in refugee protection – a leadership position we should strive to retain.

Godspeed, President Carter.