Aden Batar, CCS director of Immigration and Refugee Services, recognized as a New Pioneer

Courtesy photo/Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce

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Aden Batar (center) recently received the New Pioneer award from Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. He is shown with Chamber President Lane Beattie, Chamber Immigration Committee Chair Tom Wheelright, Chamber Executive Vice President Jason Mathis and J.D. Kesler of Dominion Energy.

SALT LAKE CITY — Aden Batar, director of Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Community Services of Utah, was recently honored as a New Pioneer at the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce American Dream Award Program.  

The Chamber program recognizes the important contributions immigrants make in the state.

In 1994 Batar, his wife, Asho, and infant son Jamal came to Utah as the first Somalian refugee family to settle in the Beehive State.

Batar graduated from Somali National University with a law degree in 1990, but at about that time a civil war broke out in the country. He and his family were forced to go into hiding. In 1992, they fled their war-torn country after the death of their 2-year-old son Mohamed, who had been burned in a fire but for whom they could not find medical treatment.

For two years, as he waited for his case to be processed, Batar worked in camps in Kenya with U.S. Immigration officials, helping to get refugees resettled.

The family first moved to Logan to be close to Batar’s brother-in-law, who was a student at Utah State University. Catholic Community Services provided the family with a home and the resources to get settled, and Batar enrolled in an intensive English program at Utah State University. After two years, the family moved to Salt Lake City and Batar joined Catholic Community Services, working to resettle other refugees. He became director of the refugee program in 2001, and went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah.

While he has not returned to practicing law, Batar said his position at CCS has given him many opportunities to put his legal education and training to use.

“I think this is really an honor to receive this award in recognition of my work,” Batar said. “As a refugee myself coming to America, I was assisted by Catholic Community Services and the general community. This award recognizes as significant the contributions I have made over the years as I have continued to help and to try to give back what I received from this community.”

Batar’s three youngest children were born in Utah. These days, Ibrahim is in his third year at the University of Utah and Ilham is a first-year student there, while Laila is a high school student. Jamal, who is now 27, graduated from the U. of U. in chemical engineering and went on to study at Columbia University; he is married and has a child of his own.

In addition to his work, Batar serves on the University of Utah alumni board and the Refugee Service Office advisory board. The founder of Somali Community Services of Utah, he is a member of the Islamic Society of Salt Lake. He and his family volunteer in the community wherever they can.

 “I don’t know if we can ever pay back what we have received,” he said. “I wouldn’t be what I am today if I hadn’t received the support.”

The award from the Salt Lake Chamber is the latest recognition that Batar has received. In 2016, President Barack Obama’s administration recognized Utah as one of the most welcoming states for refugees in the U.S., and Batar was chosen to visit the White House to represent the state.

Then, in 2017, Batar was awarded the Gandhi Peace Award by the Utah Gandhi Alliance for Peace.

“Batar’s passion and vision have made a large difference for refugees and immigrants in Utah,” Deb Sawyer, Alliance president, said at the time. “In multiple ways, his work has helped them establish secure lives in the United States.”

CCS Executive Director Brad Drake said Batar’s recognition is well-deserved.

“Batar has done so much for the refugee community,” Drake said. “In general, his presence, his wisdom and character speak volumes about who the man is. His integrity is beyond reproach. I’m just grateful for the opportunity I have to work with him. He’s truly a blessing in my life and in the lives of many others.”

Batar recently received a letter from Bishop Oscar A. Solis congratulating him on receiving the award.

“You have been able, Aden, to identify with the refugees and immigrants in a very personal way,” Bishop Solis wrote. “For some twenty-five years you have been their advocate and defender. … Please know how proud we are of your accomplishments and how grateful we are for your commitment to the ministry at CCS.”  

While Batar tries to visit his family in Somalia often, he said it is still unsafe there.

“It takes a long time to rebuild a country,” he said.

He hopes someday the country’s infrastructure will be rebuilt and that he will be able to return and help with the process, using the skills he has acquired in the United States, he said.