There are hundreds of millions of international migrants globally, each a person with a name, a unique story, and a reason for leaving their home.  People migrate for work or education, to reunite with family members, and to seek new opportunities.  Some return home, while others seek to immigrate to other countries.

While most people move by choice, conflict, violence, persecution, human rights abuses, disasters and the impacts of climate change push millions of people to flee their homes in search of safety and stability.

No single country can address and resolve complex, global migration and displacement issues on its own.  The United States recognizes that to achieve safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration, we need comprehensive regional and global strategies and continued collaboration with governments, civil society, international organizations, and other partners.  For example, the United States and 21 regional partners committed to the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection to forge a coordinated and collaborative approach to address migration challenges in the Western Hemisphere.

U.S. International Migration Themes

  • Protection: Every migrant is a human being deserving of dignity and respect for their human rights.  We also emphasize the importance of protection for those in need.
  • Collaboration: We work with other countries to enhance cooperation to manage migration in ways that are grounded in human rights, transparency, nondiscrimination, responsibility-sharing, and State sovereignty.  We welcome efforts by civil society to keep governments focused on the human rights of all migrants and humanitarian assistance and protection for those in need.
  • Information: The need to provide accurate and timely information to migrants on safe and regular migration, including legal pathways.
  • Data: The value of collecting and using accurate and disaggregated data as a basis for evidence-based policies.
  • Integration and Inclusion: Developing welcoming strategies for migrants and refugees that promote integration and inclusion.

What We Do

The State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) promotes safe, orderly, and humane migration as well as protection for vulnerable migrants around the world through diplomacy and capacity-building, in addition to direct assistance programs.  PRM’s efforts are led by the Office of International Migration (PRM/IM).  Additionally, PRM fulfills its humanitarian mandate by promoting effective and humane migration policies and practices.

  • Programs:  PRM contributed nearly $80 million for migration programs in FY 2022.  PRM administers foreign assistance funding for targeted projects and programs that support partner countries in building their capacity to manage their migration systems and to prepare for emergencies that displace people.  Implemented primarily by the International Organization for Migration  (IOM), these programs promote safe, orderly, and humane migration; promote the human rights of migrants, address human trafficking and smuggling and assist survivors; promote fair recruitment practices for migrant workers; and prepare countries to assist vulnerable migrants caught in crises or disasters, including those impacted by climate change.  We also fund regional consultative processes  (RCPs) around the world to promote regional solutions to migration challenges.  Led by member states, these processes facilitate inter-governmental cooperation on border management, data sharing, humanitarian protection, and countering human trafficking and smuggling.
  • Multilateral Diplomacy: The quadrennial International Migration Review Forum  (IMRF) established by the 2018 Global Compact for Migration (GCM ), is an important global forum addressing international migration.  To effectively support U.S. foreign policy objectives, PRM continues to engage throughout the world in a variety of spaces and conversations to advocate for a collaborative, humane approach to migration management.
  • Data: We prioritize programs and partnerships to improve migration management through evidence-based migration policies.
  • Impacts of climate change on migration: As outlined in the October 2021 White House Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Migration , “Migration in response to climate impacts may range from mobility as a proactive adaptation strategy to forced displacement in the face of life-threatening risks.” In coordination with other U.S. departments and agencies, PRM supports programs and policies that prepare for and respond to migration and displacement related to climate change.

U.S. Department of State

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