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Executive Order 12208 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 12208—Consultations on the Admission of Refugees

Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter
•
Tuesday, April 15, 1980
•
2 min read (441 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Jimmy Carter on 1980-04-15, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Consultations on the Admission of Refugees." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Reviewed under the Tenth Amendment and the principle of dual federalism, this order touches upon domains traditionally reserved to the sovereign States. The Framers would caution against any attempt to commandeer state officers or displace local police powers through federal executive fiat.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ 1101 note), the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (8 U.S.C.
▪ The United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs shall, in accord with his responsibilities under Section 301 of the Refugee Act of 1980 (8 U.S.C.
▪ 1525), prepare for those Committees the information required by 207 (e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended.
▪ There are reserved to the President the following functions under the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended: (a) To specify special circumstances for purposes of qualifying persons as refugees under Section 101 (a) (42) (B).

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Public Health & Medical Institutions
Total Words
441
2,694 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
13.7
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 12208, Jimmy Carter (Apr 15, 1980). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-12208-consultations-the-admission-refugees.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including the Refugee Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-212; 8 U.S.C. 1101 note), the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), and Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1-101. Exclusive of the functions otherwise delegated, or reserved to the President, by this Order, there are hereby delegated the following functions: (a) To the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, or either of them, the functions of initiating and carrying out appropriate consultations with members of the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and of the House of Representatives for purposes of Sections 101 (a) (42) (B) and 207(a), (b), (d), and (e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1101 (a) (42) (B) and 1157(a), (b), (d), and (e)). (b) To the United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs, the functions of reporting and carrying on periodic discussions under sections 207(d)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. 1-102. (a) The functions vested in the United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs by Section 1-101 (b) of this Order shall be carried out in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. (b) The United States Coordinator shall notify the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, or either of them, wish to consult for the purposes of Section 207(a), (b), or (d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. The United States Coordinator for Refugee Affairs shall, in accord with his responsibilities under Section 301 of the Refugee Act of 1980 (8 U.S.C. 1525), prepare for those Committees the information required by 207 (e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. 1-103. There are reserved to the President the following functions under the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended: (a) To specify special circumstances for purposes of qualifying persons as refugees under Section 101 (a) (42) (B). (b) To make determinations under Sections 207(a)(1), 207(a)(2), 207(a) (3) and 207(b). (c) To fix the number of refugees to be admitted under Section 207(b). 1-104. Except to the extent inconsistent with this Order, all actions previously taken pursuant to any function delegated or assigned by this Order shall be deemed to have been taken and authorized by this Order. JIMMY CARTER The White House, April 15, 1980. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 12:10 p.m., April 15, 1980]