Liminal refuge in the land of (decreasing) opportunity

In the international system of refugee protection, the US has historically been a major destination for resettled refugees and a more reluctant receiver of a smaller number of asylum seekers. More recently, the US has tightened its borders against potential asylum seekers and limited the opportunities for entry by a variety of forced migrants. Even its resettlement policy, once lauded as a programme that received support from both major political parties, has been thrown into uncertainty. While not an entirely dire situation, refugees and asylum seekers increasingly experience an uncertain future in the US, with fewer opportunities to find protection and a withdrawal of state support once they gain entry. In this chapter we describe the major developments in US refugee and asylum policies, noting how even expansions of international protection leave forced migrants in a state of ‘liminal refuge’.