Former Diplomats Urge Tillerson to Keep Refugee Office Where It Belongs

In a letter sent to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, more than 50 former U.S. diplomats and foreign policy experts urged the secretary to reject a White House proposal to transfer the government’s official refugee office out of the State Department.

“Refugee issues are rooted in international politics and diplomacy, which are the key concerns of the Department of State and U.S. foreign policy.”
—Letter to Rex TillersonThe letter, dated Sunday, responds to an official White House memo—the details of which were leaked to CNN—that includes proposals to relocate the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) and the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs to the Department of Homeland Security.

As Tillerson and the administration consider this possible reorganization, world leaders are struggling to address a global refugee crisis. The United Nations Human Rights Council estimates there are currently 22.5 million refugees, and more than half of them are children. At least 55 percent of refugees are fleeing wars in Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Syria.

The proposals also come at a time when the Trump administration is embroiled in a legal battle over a travel ban that targets people from six Muslim-majority countries. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments against the ban in the fall, but allowed part of it to take effect late last month. The United Nations has warned that if Trump’s Muslim Ban stays in place, it will only exacerbate the refugee crisis.

Among the key concerns expressed in the letter to Tillerson are potential threats to the U.S.’s diplomatic influence, as well as perceptions that DHS would not be able to effectively navigate the issue.

Noting U.S. leadership in global humanitarian and diplomatic organizations, the letter states: