March 17 marks the 40th Anniversary of President Jimmy Carter signing the Refugee Act of 1980. Forty years ago, Congress passed landmark legislation with near unanimous bipartisan support creating a formal process for welcoming refugees based on humanitarian needs and U.S. interests.

Nearly two and half years after President Obama’s Executive Action offering the opportunity for minors from Central America to access the refugee resettlement program, Hilda Galvez, a Honduran native, cried joyfully as her five-year-old son, Ever, was escorted through the gate at Newark Airport near midnight on March 9, 2017.