- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, is enthusiastic about welcoming Afghan refugees.
- "Our state was settled by refugees fleeing religious persecution," Cox said about Utah's history as a haven for Mormons.
- So far, a dozen other governors from both parties have publicly spoken out in favor of taking refugees.
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Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah, a Republican, is enthusiastically opening up his state to refugees fleeing Afghanistan, citing the state's origins as a safe haven for Mormons.
Other governors from both parties are steadily following suit in offering up their assistance with resettling the thousands of Afghans desperately seeking to flee the Taliban and start new lives in the US.
Utah, Cox wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has "a long history of welcoming refugees from around the world" and is "eager to continue that practice" with refugees from Afghanistan.
"Utah's history guides our approach to refugees," Cox said. "Our state was settled by refugees fleeing religious persecution 170 years ago. Their descendants have a deep understanding of the danger and pain caused by forced migration and appreciate the wonderful contributions of refugees in our communities."
—Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) August 18, 2021
