Soviet Refugees:
Issues Affecting Domestic Resettlement
HRD-90-106BR: Published: Jun 26, 1990. Publicly Released: Jul 26, 1990.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the domestic costs of resettling refugees admitted to the United States, particularly Soviet refugees.
GAO found that: (1) in 1988, the number of Soviet refugees greatly increased, and in fiscal year 1990, Soviet refugees became the largest group of refugees admitted to the United States; (2) since 1986, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) refugee assistance to states has fallen by nearly 60 percent, primarily due to reimbursement reductions for cash and medical benefits; (3) organized programs or grants, public assistance, and private philanthropy support most refugees admitted to the United States; (4) since refugees settled in only a few states, resettlement costs were not spread evenly across the country; (5) neither public nor private-sector agencies involved in resettlement disaggregate costs for refugee groups; (6) estimates of resettlement costs for the average refugee ranged from $1,800 to over $7,000, but available cost estimates for all refugees varied widely; (7) public assistance to refugees was generally a very small percentage of total public assistance; (8) since passage of the Refugee Act of 1980, funding from HHS and the Department of State has been reduced, and some states have expressed concerns that federal agencies shifted resettlement costs to them; and (9) private-sector officials believed that even though federal cuts had increased their burden, they could still afford to resettle more Soviet refugees.
Dec 9, 2020
-
International Trade:
Observations On Whether Women's Rights and Economic Interests Are Protected or Promoted by U.S. Trade Preference ProgramsGAO-21-190: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 2, 2020
-
Foreign Assistance:
USAID Should Analyze Data on the Timeliness of ExpendituresGAO-21-51: Published: Dec 2, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 2, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
-
Global Food Security:
Information on Spending and Types of Assistance Provided by the United States and Other DonorsGAO-21-47R: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
-
Human Trafficking:
Agencies Have Taken Steps to Strengthen International Anti-trafficking ProjectsGAO-21-53: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020. -
Rule of Law Assistance:
State and USAID Could Improve Monitoring EffortsGAO-21-14: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
Oct 27, 2020
-
Forced Labor Imports:
DHS Increased Resources and Enforcement Efforts, but Needs to Improve Workforce Planning and MonitoringGAO-21-106: Published: Oct 27, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 27, 2020.
Oct 2, 2020
-
Combating Wildlife Trafficking:
Agencies Work to Address Human Rights Abuse Allegations in Overseas Conservation ProgramsGAO-21-139R: Published: Oct 2, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 2, 2020.
Sep 22, 2020
-
Cyber Diplomacy:
State Has Not Involved Relevant Federal Agencies in the Development of Its Plan to Establish the Cyberspace Security and Emerging Technologies BureauGAO-20-607R: Published: Sep 22, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 22, 2020.
Sep 15, 2020
-
Steel and Aluminum Tariffs:
Commerce Should Improve Its Exclusion Request Process and Economic Impact ReviewsGAO-20-517: Published: Sep 15, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 15, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
-
Conflict Minerals:
Actions Needed to Assess Progress Addressing Armed Groups' Exploitation of MineralsGAO-20-595: Published: Sep 14, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here