SALT LAKE CITY — Mayra Molina isn't deaf to the sharp criticism some politicians and others direct against immigrants crossing into the United States via the southern border with Mexico.

"It hurts, obviously," she said.

Molina, an immigrant herself, came to the United States from Venezuela in 1998 and now works with immigrants through the Venezuelan Alliance of Utah, a nonprofit advocacy group she helps lead that helps newcomers to the country.

As she sees it, though, the majority of the people she's assisting, asylum-seekers in large part, are families looking for work — not a handout — and a better future. She gets the criticism, but from seeing "the human side" of their struggle and the effort they put forth — to get to the United States and then to make a go of it in a new country — she views the situation differently.

"You know, they're really committed to make their life better," she said.

As the debate over immigration rages, Molina has an up-close view of the situation, meeting and working with immigrants coming to Utah, in tandem with other immigration advocates. And while hers is a sympathetic view, she offers insights into the process and factors that have led many Venezuelans, in particular, to the United States.

Homeless shelters in Utah report a sharp influx of immigrants, notably from Venezuela, which led state, Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City officials to issue a flyer asking asylum-seekers to reconsider plans to come to Utah if they don't have family or friends here.

From around 5,000 in 2020, Molina estimates that the Venezuelan population in Utah has surged to around 20,000. If accurate, that total would make it the third-largest community of Latinos in the state behind those of Mexican descent, far and away the largest Hispanic contingent, and Peruvians, who number around 30,000, Molina thinks.

The main factor pushing Venezuelans out, Molina says, is the political persecution many say they face from the government of President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. State Department reported "significant human rights issues" in Venezuela in 2023, citing reports of hundreds of extrajudicial killings carried out by Maduro agents during the year, among many other things. The State Department reissued a "do not travel" advisory for Venezuela last month due to "crime, civil unrest, kidnapping and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws."

"We have families ... their house has been burned down, you know, or the kids have been kidnapped or put in jail just for their political opinion," she said.

As of last November, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, some 7.7 million Venezuelans had scattered around the globe, mostly in Latin America. Some 2.9 million fled to neighboring Colombia, the top destination, followed by Peru, 1.5 million, and the United States, around 545,000, according to the 2023 figures.

A report by Human Rights Watch called the Venezuelan exodus "one of the largest migration crises in the world."

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In that context, Molina said, many Venezuelans make their way to the U.S.-Mexico border. There, at least until President Joe Biden's announcement last week of new restrictions on asylum-seekers at the border, they would travel to a border processing facility and cite a "credible fear" of persecution in a bid for asylum. Those making persecution claims that are accepted by U.S. agents may enter the United States while their asylum requests are processed and get a work permit, which has figured in the influx of immigrants into the country.

From there, Molina said, typical destinations for the newcomers are the larger cities in Texas, Chicago, Florida and New York City. More and more, though, some are making their way to Utah. Gov. Spencer Cox last week lashed out at the mayor of Denver after reports emerged that the Colorado capital had covered the costs of sending some immigrants to Salt Lake City.

But Molina said there are other factors at play in the increase in Venezuelans in Utah, including the state's relatively strong economy and "family-oriented" culture.

"The other part of it is just obviously the cost of living. ... For them, rent and other living costs are really cheap compared to other states," she said.

Word of mouth, too, figures in the equation. Venezuelans already in Utah will tell others the state is "a great place to be," she said.

The concentration of Venezuelans is still higher in larger urban centers, but the influx to Utah is enough that it's overwhelmed the smaller infrastructure of social services, leading to the current situation, Molina said. The Venezuelan Alliance of Utah used its social media accounts to distribute the cautionary flyer made by the state, Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County.

Resources are "limited compared to a year or two years ago," Molina said. "Shelters are out of space. Organizations, they're out of resources and money to offer more help."

Accordingly, she asks would-be immigrants thinking of coming to Utah "to have a plan," whether in coordination with friends, family, a church or some other entity. "It's really hard for us to see families that are living in the streets with kids," she said.

She also asks the broader public to better understand the forces at play with the immigrants and asylum-seekers.

"Please don't judge ... until at least you have an opportunity to know their situation," she said.

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