The Refugee Act of 1980 that set in motion the Refugee Resettlement program as we know it today was enacted in March 1980, signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, and went into effect on April 1, 1980.
Here is the list of Senators responsible, in case you want to thank those who are still around:
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) chief sponsor
Co-sponsors:
Sen. Jos. Biden (DE)
Sen. Mark Hatfield (OR)
Sen. Carl Levin (MI)
Sen. Daniel Moynihan (NY)
Sen. Randolph Jennings (WV)
Sen. Donald Riegle (MI)
Sen. Paul Tsongas (MA)
Sen. Rudy Boschwitz (MN)
Sen. Jacob Javits (NY)
Sen. George McGovern (SD)
Sen. Claiborn Pell (RI)
Sen. Abraham Ribicoff (CT)
Sen. Paul Sarbanes (MD)
Sen. Harrison Williams (NJ)
One thing that has always interested me is that although Senators from WV and DE promoted this legislation, both of those states have taken less than 1000 refugees in 28 years, while others states have taken tens of thousands.
Go here and check out the table. Note that DE has taken 747, WV 404, and contrast that to MD 30,777. I guess Maryland is just more “welcoming” to all immigrants (legal and illegal).