§ 1521. — Office of Refugee Resettlement; establishment; appointment of Director; functions.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 8USC1521]
TITLE 8--ALIENS AND NATIONALITY
CHAPTER 12--IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY
SUBCHAPTER IV--REFUGEE ASSISTANCE
Sec. 1521. Office of Refugee Resettlement; establishment;
appointment of Director; functions
(a) There is established, within the Department of Health and Human
Services, an office to be known as the Office of Refugee Resettlement
(hereinafter in this subchapter referred to as the ``Office''). The head
of the Office shall be a Director (hereinafter in this subchapter
referred to as the ``Director''), to be appointed by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services (hereinafter in this subchapter referred to as
the ``Secretary'').
(b) The function of the Office and its Director is to fund and
administer (directly or through arrangements with other Federal
agencies), in consultation with the Secretary of State, programs of the
Federal Government under this subchapter.
(June 27, 1952, ch. 477, title IV, ch. 2, Sec. 411, as added Pub. L. 96-
212, title III, Sec. 311(a)(2), Mar. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 110; amended
Pub. L. 103-236, title I, Sec. 162(n)(1), Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 409.)
Amendments
1994--Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103-236 substituted ``the Secretary of
State'' for ``and under the general policy guidance of the United States
Coordinator for Refugee Affairs (hereinafter in this subchapter referred
to as the `Coordinator')''.
Effective Date of 1994 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 103-236 applicable with respect to officials,
offices, and bureaus of Department of State when executive orders,
regulations, or departmental directives implementing the amendments by
sections 161 and 162 of Pub. L. 103-236 become effective, or 90 days
after Apr. 30, 1994, whichever comes earlier, see section 161(b) of Pub.
L. 103-236, as amended, set out as a note under section 2651a of Title
22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.
Effective Date
Subchapter applicable with respect to fiscal years beginning on or
after Oct. 1, 1979, see section 313 of Pub. L. 96-212, set out as a note
under section 1522 of this title.
Short Title of Refugee Act of 1980
For short title of Refugee Act of 1980, see Short Title of 1980
Amendment note set out under section 1101 of this title.
References to Secretary of Education or Secretary of Department of
Health and Human Services
Section 204(e) of Pub. L. 96-212 provided that: ``Any reference in
this Act [see Short Title of 1980 Amendment note set out under section
1101 of this title] or in chapter 2 of title IV of the Immigration and
Nationality Act [this subchapter] to the Secretary of Education or the
Secretary of Health and Human Services or to the Department of Health
and Human Services shall be deemed, before the effective date of the
Department of Education Organization Act [see Effective Date note set
out under section 3401 of Title 20, Education], to be a reference to the
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare or to the Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare, respectively.''
Congressional Declaration of Policies and Objectives
Section 101 of Pub. L. 96-212 provided that:
``(a) the Congress declares that it is the historic policy of the
United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to
persecution in their homelands, including, where appropriate,
humanitarian assistance for their care and maintenance in asylum areas,
efforts to promote opportunities for resettlement or voluntary
repatriation, aid for necessary transportation and processing, admission
to this country of refugees of special humanitarian concern to the
United States, and transitional assistance to refugees in the United
States. The Congress further declares that it is the policy of the
United States to encourage all nations to provide assistance and
resettlement opportunities to refugees to the fullest extent possible.
``(b) The objectives of this Act [see Short Title of 1980 Amendment
note set out under section 1101 of this title] are to provide a
permanent and systematic procedure for the admission to this country of
refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States, and to
provide comprehensive and uniform provisions for the effective
resettlement and absorption of those refugees who are admitted.''
