 The signatories to these agreements are further obliged not to return or "refoul" refugees to the place where they would face persecution.This commitment was codified and expanded with the passing of the Refugee Act of 1980 by the United States Congress.Besides reiterating the definitions of the 1951 Convention and its Protocol, the Refugee Act provided for the establishment of an Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help refugees begin their lives in the U.S.