THE REFUGEE ACT OF 1980: FAILED POLICY IMPLEMENTATION & CONTINUED BIAS IN ADMISSIONS

In 1980, under the Carter administration, a landmark piece of refugee legislation passed in the United States intending to eliminate previously institutionalized forms of discrimination in refugee admittance. Previously, selection rooted in nationality, dependent on the relationship between that nation and the United States. While this legislation was created with the intention of abolishing that practice, a historical analysis of American acceptance of refugees from El Salvador, an ally under a nationalist dictatorship, and Cuba, a communist enemy, indicates large discrepancies in admittance continued after the policy was signed into law. The Refugee Act of 1980, while worded in a way to ensure unbiased refugee admissions grounded in each client’s need, ultimately served primarily as a tool of foreign policy, advancing the American demonization of communist countries and leaders