Under the Refugee Act, a refugee is defined as a non-citizen who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on their religion, race, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Additionally, the Act specifies that anyone who delivers a missing American Prisoner of War (POW) or a Missing in Action (MIA) soldier is eligible to receive refugee status in the United States. This provision aims to protect individuals who have rendered significant aid to American personnel under dangerous circumstances.
See 8 U.S.C. § 1101.
[Last updated in May of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]