Wall Street Journal
By Miriam Jordan
March 27, 2016
Amid
concerns over potential terrorists infiltrating the U.S., Gov. Gary
Herbert of Utah has repeatedly pledged to keep the welcome sign hanging
for refugees while most of his Republican
counterparts want a review or pause in resettlement.
After
the San Bernardino, Calif., and Paris attacks, Mr. Herbert met with
national-security officials to better understand the refugee vetting
process. Utah police, he said, have begun working
directly with the state’s refugee communities to nurture ties with them
and provide an “extra layer” of protection for Utah residents. He
remains determined to keep doors open to refugees from Muslim countries.
“We
are a compassionate people in Utah because we understand religious
persecution,” said the governor in an interview, referring to the
state’s history as the center of the Mormon religion.
“We ought to keep out terrorists without keeping out people of a
religious group.”
About
two-thirds of Utah’s three million residents are members of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon Church organized in
1830 in New York state. Many have ancestors
who were driven out of several states, where they were regarded as a
threat, before settling in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Religious
freedom is “embedded deeply in Mormon DNA,” said Patrick Mason, an
American religion scholar at Claremont Graduate University in
California.
GOP
governors in many other states have adopted a different stance on
refugees. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has appealed a federal judge’s ruling
that deemed his suspension of resettlement of
Syrians unconstitutional.
But
Utah has a history of going against the grain of conservative or
mainstream politics. Last year, state lawmakers agreed to highly
criticized compromise legislation with gay-rights groups.
Of
about 70,000 refugees who arrived in the U.S. annually in recent years,
the State Department has sent about 1,100 to Utah a year, the majority
from Muslim countries like Afghanistan, Iraq
and Somalia. Roughly as many relocate to Utah from other states, drawn
by a thriving economy—its 3.4% jobless rate is below the national
average— and a welcoming environment.
“I
don’t feel any hostility at all,” said Shakar Ali, a 24-year-old
Kurdish Iraqi whose engineering studies are partly funded by a Utah
real-estate mogul. “Wherever I am going, they offer
help.”
President
Barack Obama agreed to resettle 85,000 displaced people in the U.S.
this fiscal year, including 10,000 Syrians. Among the 1,200 bound for
Utah will be a still-unspecified number
of Syrians.
When
the refugee crisis intensified last year, the Mormon Church’s governing
body directed members to give money and volunteer. An announcement
Monday will remind Mormons “to join together
to help refugees” in their communities. Business leaders, who had
already committed millions of dollars, have been stepping up donations.
“We
were refugees ourselves,” said Tom Lloyd, a Mormon commercial
real-estate developer who created a foundation to assist refugees with a
friend, financial adviser Jim Woodward. Their commitment
also is informed by missionary work abroad, a rite of passage for young
church members, who often see hardship close up, said Mr. Woodward,
also a Mormon. “God is sending us lots of people to give us the
opportunity to serve them here,” he said.
At
the Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center run by the Mormon Church,
about 200 people, mostly refugees, work half the day preparing aid
supplies that are shipped world-wide. The other half,
they attend an English class. After a year, counselors help them find
jobs in food services, warehousing and other areas.
Unlike
some states, no citizen groups in Utah have organized anti-refugee
demonstrations or petitions. But Utah’s embrace of newcomers hasn’t
found universal support. Jonathan Johnson, a
prominent Mormon businessman and a Republican, said that while he
recognizes refugees contributed to America over the years, he doesn’t
want Islamic State terrorists coming to the country under the guise of
refugee status.
“Utah
should immediately suspend the acceptance of Syrian refugees until we
are sure the screening process works,” said Mr. Johnson, who is chairman
of retailer Overstock.com and is challenging
Mr. Herbert in his bid for re-election this year. “Utahns are extremely
compassionate and generous people, but the governor needs to ensure
refugees coming to Utah are not a danger to Utahns.”
Federally
funded agencies help the newcomers find housing, work and secure
certain benefits. But refugees often struggle with linguistic,
educational and other barriers to becoming self-sufficient.
Last
month, a Salt Lake City policeman shot and seriously wounded a
17-year-old Somali refugee, who law enforcement said refused to drop his
weapon during an altercation with another person
in a high-crime area. The incident spurred a protest over police use of
force and accountability.
“This
is a broad community issue rather than a refugee issue,” said Aden
Batar, head of Salt Lake City’s Catholic Community Services, the agency
that resettled the victim’s family when he
was 5 years old.
Many
Mormon business leaders say they are dedicated to helping refugees
integrate into the wider community. Real-estate magnate H. Roger Boyer
committed a million dollars a year to help newcomers
earn college degrees. His nonprofit helps cover tuition, transportation
and other items, like glasses and dental care.
“This
is an underserved group who, with a little help, can improve themselves
and contribute to the community and their families,” said Mr. Boyer,
noting that his mission is to build “self-reliance,”
a core Mormon value.“We are not trying to convert anyone,” he said.
Among
the 150 young refugees his Refugee Education Initiative sponsors,
several attend the University of Utah, including Mr. Ali, the Kurdish
Iraqi; a pre-nursing student whose family fled
Afghanistan; and a pre-pharmacy student from the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
Mr.
Boyer, whose Boyer Co. has construction projects in several states,
said he will tap his Mormon connections in Arizona and Idaho, also home
to large refugee populations, to replicate
the program there.
Mormons
“come together and raise resources right away,” said Shu Cheng,
executive director of the Refugee & Immigrant Center, which offers
employment, mental health and other services free
of charge.
The
center has benefited from the largesse of the Mormon Church and
business community, including Messrs Lloyd and Woodward, who provide
emergency funds for refugees in financial distress,
such as to cover rent.
“We’re dedicated to filling gaps in the system,” said Mr. Lloyd.
Through
their Good Samaritan Foundation, Messrs Lloyd and Woodward help pay the
salaries of staff at a center that serves refugees. Many of them live
in apartment complexes in an isolated
neighborhood, and typically don’t have access to transportation.
On
a recent afternoon, about 25 children ages 8 to 16 ate chicken nuggets,
vegetables and peaches before getting homework help from volunteers at
the Sunnyvale Neighborhood Center, which
also offers English, parenting and citizenship classes.
A
larger center is slated to open in another refugee enclave by year’s
end. The businessmen are canvassing other Mormons to help fund eight more
centers “as fast as we can,” said Mr. Lloyd,
president of Terra Industries.
“People
here help me with my work,” said Nyandeng, a 13-year-old Sudanese girl
whose mother is a hotel housekeeper and father is a mechanic. “I like
being around them.”
Messrs
Lloyd and Woodward are negotiating to buy apartment complexes where
refugees are concentrated. They then would offer the units at lower rent
on the condition that refugees use the
difference in savings toward a down payment on a home.
“Money isn’t a problem,” said Mr. Woodward. “We’ll find the money.”
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