In March 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Refugee Act into law, establishing a permanent and systematic procedure for admitting refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States. The act raised the annual ceiling for refugee admissions to 50,000 and created a process for adjusting the ceiling to meet emergencies. It was a major legislative landmark that brought U.S. refugee law into accord with international obligations and moved away from a Cold War focus on refugees from communist countries. The act has shaped U.S. response to global humanitarian crises.

The Refugee Act of 1980 and the experiences of refugees it admitted are a significant theme in contemporary American literature. The act's focus on humanitarian concerns has brought diverse refugee voices into the literary canon, with writers like Khaled Hosseini and Viet Thanh Nguyen exploring the refugee experience. Their works, along with poetry from refugee communities, highlight the resilience, trauma, and complex identity of those who have sought safety in the United States.