Australia's Refugee Resettlement Agreement with the United States: The Diplomacy and Uncertainty of a “Very Big Deal”

Abstract

In September 2016, the United States government agreed to consider resettling up to 1250 refugees who had sought protection in Australia but who were detained offshore under the Australian government's hard‐line asylum policy. This paper charts the story of this resettlement agreement, noting that for many refugees and asylum seekers that story remains unfinished. For an agreement signed to create certainty, there has been considerable uncertainty since 2016. The paper will consider what the agreement with the United States says about Australia's asylum policy. That the Obama administration agreed to resettle refugees who had sought protection in Australia, at a time of heightened global resettlement needs, is because US diplomats were aware of the plight of the refugees held offshore and because the two countries have a long record of cooperation in refugee resettlement. That the deal was begrudgingly maintained under President Trump is testament to the importance of the bilateral relationship. That resettlement in the United States has been so uncertain — and may not be available to everyone — only underscores the deeply flawed and unsustainable nature of the Australian government's insistence on refusing entry to these refugees.