Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) has approved a plan for law enforcement officers in the state to work with newly resettled Syrian refugees in an attempt to help them assimilate, the Salt Lake Tribune reported on Monday.
Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Keith Squires told the Tribune that he would like law enforcement officers to help Syrians feel welcomed, rather than feel isolated.
“Just some things that are also proactive and helpful for someone who is coming here from somewhere else,” he told the Tribune of his plans.
Squires said that officers from the state Bureau of Investigation would be tasked with helping refugees understand state laws.
Herbert had asked Squires to review the federal vetting process for refugees, and the commissioner then determined that the system was very “thorough.”
“There is nothing that I could check here in the state of Utah that would add to what is already taking place by the federal authorities,” Squires told the Tribune.
Instead, he wants Utah law enforcement to make a positive impression on refugees who arrive in the state in the hopes that a good relationship with the community will help prevent Syrian refugees from turning to crime or terrorism.
“My concern would be more after they are here, and being able to help if they are part of a vulnerable community that might be influenced, for whatever reason, if they are not assimilated to be involved in criminal or terrorist activity,” Squires told the Tribune. ”Utah, in my opinion and observation, has done a great job of not only welcoming refugees to our state, but also to help them assimilate into our communities and to be part of what Utah is all about. I don’t want to do anything that hurts that.”
Herbert’s approach to Syrian refugees has been markedly different from some of his fellow Republican governors. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R) has attempted twice to keep Syrian refugees families from settling in his state, and the state of Texas has sued the federal government and a nonprofit in an attempt to block Syrian refugees.
