Iraqi Refugees in San Diego

Leonel Sanchez reports for the San Diego Union-Tribune:

San Diego County has long been a haven for Iraqi refugees, most recently for a record wave of new arrivals.

The 2,356 Iraqis, mostly Chaldean Catholics and other Christian refugees, who arrived in the region last fiscal year are part of a nationwide program to resettle refugees from the war-torn country. It is the largest number of Iraqi refugees who have arrived in San Diego County during a single year. An additional 3,600 are expected this year.

Many of the newcomers are refugees like Salah Saour, 45, an engineer from Baghdad who is still adjusting to his new country after arriving with his wife and their two daughters in August. Saour, who is studying English at an adult school in El Cajon, said his family was not safe in Iraq. Click here for the rest of the story.

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