Interest-based theoretical models of policymaking generally fail to consider the effects of institutionalized norms on policymajkers' interest calculations. Institutionalist approaches to international relations posit that norms and interests interact, but they provide little description of how the interaction produces policy decisions. This article attempts to incorporate the role of institutionalized norms within an interest-based analysis of policymaking by exploring the interactive relationship between norms and interests. The refugee protection policies of Mexico and Honduras are analyzed to reveal the mechanisms through which policymakers' interest calculations are altered by incentives and policy options provided by an international norm-promoting institution.