Whereas after receiving bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act, S. 643 (96th Congress), was signed into law on March 17, 1980, to provide a domestic framework for the United States to align with the international obligations of the United States, including under— (1) the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at Geneva July 28, 1951 (as made applicable by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at New York January 31, 1967 (19 U.S.T. 6223)), of which the United States is a party; (2) the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York December 10, 1984, of which the United States is a party; (3) the Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, done at New York September 28, 1954; and (4) the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, done at New York August 30, 1961; Whereas the humanitarian protection provided by the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act ( Public Law 96–212 ; 94 Stat. 102), is consistent with the best values of the United States, such as judging people not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character , championing religious liberty, standing up for one’s beliefs, standing up for those who are being mistreated, championing democracy, and upholding the rights and practices of self-governance and free speech regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality; Whereas refugees are courageous, hard-working people of conviction and values, defenders of democracy and faith, and people who face persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, and in some cases, face persecution because they allied with the United States in crucial missions, such as in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq, and Afghanistan