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Hundreds Of Syrian Refugees Settle In Arizona

The United States has reached its goal of taking in 10,000 Syrian refugees in a year-old resettlement program. Several hundred of those refugees are now live in Arizona.

A spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Economic Security said as of Aug. 4, about 700 Syrian refugees have settled here. Refugees are typically assigned to cities where they have family and friends or where there’s an established community of immigrants who share their culture.

The United States said it reached its target of resettling 10,000 Syrians refugees in the 2016 fiscal year on Monday — more than a month ahead of schedule.

The resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who are subjected to violence, torture or are sick.

Close to 5 million Syrians have fled their country since 2011.

KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.