§2730 Prohibition on Funding the Involuntary Return of Refugees

Summary

Money given to the State Department or the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund must not be used to force anyone to go back to a country where they have a well-founded fear of being persecuted for race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group, or political opinion. The rule does not apply if the person is excluded from refugee protection under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of July 28, 1951, and the Protocol of January 31, 1967, as limited by U.S. reservations. The Secretary must notify the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on International Relations before using funds to force a return, except in life‑threatening emergencies when notification must happen as soon as possible. Definitions: “appropriate congressional committees” = the two named committees; “to effect the involuntary return” = forcing someone by physical force or threats, even if the person is not in the U.S. or the U.S. acts through an agent. This does not affect State Department actions on removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act or on extradition.