Dozens of Iraqi refugees Utah-bound in fall

It's expected that the first group allowed into the United States will be Iraqis who have worked as interpreters or facilitators for the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Batar of Catholic Community Services says that when his agency has more information about the new refugees he plans to meet with the Iraqi community along the Wasatch Front; he will help relocate refugees to Utah if they have family members already living here, he says.

Between 1995 and 2005, according to Nakamura, 335 Iraqi refugees were resettled in Utah, including Kurds, as well as Iraqis displaced during the Gulf War. The number of total Iraqis currently living in Utah is hard to pinpoint, he says. Batar estimates it is at least 1,000.

Although the new refugees will likely include both Sunnis and Shiites, Utah Iraqi Nadeem Ahmed says, "It doesn't matter which sect they are. We will welcome them no matter who they are."

---

E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com