Refugees

A sample driving privilege card, courtesy Utah Department of Public Safety.

Politics & Government

Immigration attorneys worry Utah driving privilege cardholders could be targeted

Macy Lipkin

The cards allow people to drive and obtain car insurance, even if they don’t have legal status in the U.S.

President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding the southern border in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.

Politics & Government

Utah nonprofits struggle to support refugees in wake of Trump executive order

Macy Lipkin

The order halted funding that local nonprofits relied on to help new refugees settle in Utah.

Traffic moves around the new roundabout outside the Utah State Capitol on the first day of the 2025 Utah legislative session in Salt Lake City, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.

Politics & Government

Utah House votes to bump up misdemeanor penalties, a key threshold for deportations

Macy Lipkin

Rep. Candice Pierucci said the change is about removing people in the country illegally who commit crimes, but it would also affect refugees and immigrants with legal status. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen spoke as part of Salt Lake Community College’s Big Question Forum, Sept. 25, 2024.

Race, Religion & Social Justice

The US has always been ‘contested space’ for refugees, says Pulitzer-winning author

Pamela McCall

Today’s divisive political rhetoric around refugees and immigrants isn’t a new moment. novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen said it’s important to remember history: “Immigration is part of our American mythology, but so is hate and xenophobia.”

Ibrahim Al-Rabid and his wife Ayoush Al-Jassem, who immigrated to Utah from Syria with their six daughters last October.

Race, Religion & Social Justice

For refugees in Utah, the first face at the airport could be a neighbor

Tilda Wilson

With caseworkers stretched thin, community members are coming together to support the needs of Utah’s newest refugee families.

A woman from Ukraine holds a sign with the national flag colors as Ukrainians and their supporters gather to mark the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

Race, Religion & Social Justice

What the invasion anniversary means to Ukrainians now living in Utah

Kristine Weller

It has been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine and refugees now living in Utah are still anxious to get home.

The Ukrainian Shakur Kahn family preparing to celebrate Christmas in Utah.

Race, Religion & Social Justice

Welcomed to Utah, 2 Ukrainian families cling to hope for home this Christmas

Saige Miller

“On one hand, we are very happy to celebrate this happy time, especially with new people in a new country,” said Zulfiana Shakur Khan “On the other hand, we feel sad that people are dying [on the frontlines back home].”