Utah, one of the most welcoming states for refugees, volunteered to take in people who fled Afghanistan as the Taliban seized control.
And, in recent weeks, refugee agencies in the state have hurried to get housing and assistance lined up for potentially scores of families, unsure of just how many would come here.
On Wednesday, the State Department informed governors how many to expect among the first group of 37,000.
Utah will receive 765. And they’ll start to arrive in October.
“We are grateful to offer a safe landing place to 765 Afghans and recognize the new perspectives and compassion they will bring to our state,” Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement. “There is still work to be done to prepare, and we are awaiting additional information from the State Department.
The Associated Press obtained the data for the entire nation and reports that California is slated to take 5,200 Afghan refugees, the most in the nation. Other major destinations include Maryland, Texas, and Virginia, partly because they already have large numbers of Afghans living there. Colorado took over the government in 865, while Nevada would reset in 150. Wyoming is one of a small group of states that does not accept any refugees.
Most refugees now reside at US military bases, where they undergo security checks and medical examinations.
The governor's office said many Utah refugees were still under investigation and that refugee status was not yet clear. These are the people the government calls "parole." Until they go through the standard process of the State Department, they will be able to work and receive employment assistance, but no other benefits.
Cox previously sent President Joe Biden a letter saying the state is willing to accept refugees.
“We are eager to continue that practice,” Cox wrote, “and assist with the resettlement of individuals and families fleeing Afghanistan.”
The State Department listed Salt Lake City as one of 19 places Afghan refugees were encouraged to select, based on affordability and how welcoming a place has been for refugees.
Utah has already started to receive some of these refugees. On Sept. 2, Azim Kakaie landed in Salt Lake City. It was the air traffic controller used by U.S. Pat. at Kabul Airport. He has a special immigrant visa to get here. In Utah, Kakaie has relatives of 60 to 80 families from the Afghan community in the state.
Some in the Utah Afghan community hope to welcome relatives. At a recent prayer service, 9-year-old Arya Mustafawi said, "I want to bring my cousins back from Afghanistan to America to get them out of the Taliban."
These refugees are mostly people who helped American troops in Afghanistan or their close family members. Some journalists, workers or human rights activists are also persecuted if they remain in their home country.The AP reports that the US will help repatriate 65,000 Afghans by the end of the month and another 95,000 next year see more