Source: CVDaily Feed
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Approximately 1100 refugees come into the state of Utah from other countries each year. The majority of them come from Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

The Wall Street Journal recently praised Utah Governor Gary Herbert for not placing a ban on refugees as some of the states have done, and also for the quality of Utah’s refugee programs.

Asha Parekh, Refugee Services Office Director for the Department of Workforce Services, was a guest on KVNU’s For the People program Wednesday. She said the state has worked with public and private organizations to come up with successful programs that help refugees integrate and find jobs so they can support their families.

“One of the things that I think does make us very unique is we look at how to support refugee communities so they have the capacity to support each other, so they’re self-sufficient,” said Parekh. “They have people in their community that can help them access services when they run into trouble. We also work very closely with volunteers.”

Parekh said there are excellent refugee programs that help those transplanted here from other countries to learn English and also learn both employment skills and life skills.