Non-refoulement is a foundational principle in international refugee and human rights law that prohibits countries from returning individuals to territories where they face serious threats to life or freedom. Codified in the 1951 Refugee Convention and reinforced by the Convention Against Torture, it applies regardless of whether someone has been formally recognized as a refugee. In U.S. law, non-refoulement obligations are implemented through asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT protection. The principle is considered so fundamental that many legal scholars regard it as a peremptory norm of international law.