Refugee resettlement flights canceled after Utah groups lose federal funding

    SALT LAKE CITY (KSTU) -- Aden Batar understands the weight of leaving behind all that you’ve ever known.

“It’s not easy to leave your home country and to go to a strange country,” Batar shared Tuesday.

Currently the Director of Migration and Refugee Services for Catholic Community Services, Batar and his family fled Somalia during civil war in the early 90s to seek a new life in Utah.

“I never thought I was going to leave my home country, but due to the loss of family members and the loss of my own child — I never second guessed,” he said.

Batar is now facing another challenge as his organization's refugee resettlement program that helped his own family resettle is cutting back on their services. Catholic Community Services is no longer receiving the federal funding needed and was forced to let go of over 25 of its staff members. They've also had to cancel resettlement flights for people who were all set to come to Utah.

“This is the first time I’m seeing such a situation happening to our program,” Batar explained.

He said that more than 60 percent of the group's funding comes from the federal government, with the rest through donations and local money.

Dan Johnson, the Interim Executive Director of the Cache Refugee Immigrant Connection, said they are seeing similar cuts to staff and grants. Johnson shared how they had to cancel flights for over 10 refugee families who were on their way to Utah.

“It’s been one thing after another,” he said. “The thing is, you look at it and go, ‘What’s next?’ There’s such uncertainty.”

Batar promises to continue to serve who they can.

“Of course, we’re not closing down our doors," he said. "We’re winding down our services.”