Asylum Fact 1

1) Definitions: Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Many people around the world face grave danger, even torture, in their countries and are forced to flee their homes. Once they do so, they begin a complex, often dangerous, journey to find safety.

Within the United States, the term “refugee” refers to people who have been determined to be refugees while located outside the U.S., and who are then formally resettled to the U.S. through the United States Refugee Admissions Program after rigorous screening and background checks. The term “asylum-seeker” is used to refer to those who are already physically present in the U.S. or who have arrived at a port of entry (like the Southern border) then seek a determination – through the U.S. immigration system – that they meet the definition of a refugee (and if granted asylum, would then be considered an asylee). Under U.S. law, it is a legal right for people to ask for asylum in the U.S.  Read the “Basics of Asylum” from Human Rights First here.