Migration has been a complex and challenging issue for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The majority of ASEAN member states have not ratified the specific international legal instruments governing migration, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Nonetheless, given that many of them are parties to the human rights treaties pertinent to the rights of migrants and refugees, international human rights law plays a significant role in this region. While ASEAN has developed several regional initiatives that have the potential to provide protection for these vulnerable individuals, their effective guarantees are largely influenced and hampered by the strongly upheld ASEAN fundamental principles. Since the adoption of the Global Compacts for Migration and on Refugees, ASEAN states have actively engaged in the global forums, which shows a hopeful sign, but whether this step would be a true step forward for enhanced protection for displaced persons remains to be seen.