Human rights, refugee and humanitarian law protect people around the world, including when they face persecution, violence and threats to their fundamental rights. Respect for human rights is central to upholding the rule of law globally, safeguarding stability, and saving lives. To address displacement and humanitarian challenges effectively, the rights of all people — including refugees, migrants and displaced people — must be respected. Refugees must be protected from return to persecution and assured access to asylum. Refugee resettlement, other safe pathways, and critical aid, along with respect for rights, are essential to enabling countries around the world to host refugees and displaced persons.
What We're Doing
On World Refugee Day, the U.S. Should Lead by Example
Human Rights First Welcomes Resettlement, Condemns Bars to Asylum Seekers
Biden Administration Asylum Recommendations
Blueprint: How to Address the Global Refugee Crisis and Safeguard U.S. National Security
Human Rights First 2021 Blueprints
The Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Need for U.S. Leadership
The Road to Safety: Strengthening Protection for LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya
How to Repair the U.S. Asylum and Refugee Resettlement Systems
The Road to Safety: Strengthening Protection for LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya
How to Confront the Iraqi Refugee Crisis: A Blueprint for the New Administration
How to Confront the Iraqi Refugee Crisis: a Blueprint for the New Administration
Human Rights First Urges Obama Administration to Lead on Iraqi Refugees
How the Trump Administration’s Executive Orders on Refugees Harm Our Iraqi Wartime Allies
President Bush Signs Defense Authorization Act, Commits the U.S. to Helping More Iraqi Refugees
Letters to the governments of Costa Rica and Panama urge countries to address injustices relating to U.S. return scheme
International human rights organizations urge the governments of Costa Rica and Panama to address human rights abuses resulting from their agreement to receive families and…
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Pakistan must stop returns of Afghans to persecution, Trump administration must restart resettlement
Media Contact: [email protected] As Pakistan’s latest deadline for a new wave of deportations and detentions of Afghans approaches on April 10, Human Rights First calls…
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Human Rights First Urges Poland to Lift Suspension on Right to Seek Asylum
New York, NY— Human Rights First today urged the Polish government to lift the suspension on people’s right to claim asylum at the Poland-Belarus border, and…
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Upholding Not Undermining International Law: Civil Society Open Letter to States (December 2025, reissued)
In advance of Human Rights Day on December 10, the Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in mid-December 2025, and the 75th Anniversary of the Refuge…
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