Use this information from uscis.gov to avoid common immigration scams or if you suspect you are a victim of immigration fraud.
Our donation drop-off hours are Monday 9:30am to 12:30pm at 75 Hamilton St, New Haven. Please email Donations@IRISCT.org to make an appointment for donations outside of the regular hours or sign up for an appointment here.
Our mission remains unchanged — to welcome, support, and empower refugees and immigrants — the individuals and families we serve are gripped by uncertainty and fear. Far too many immigrants across the country and right here in Connecticut have already been detained or deported. Thousands more remain stranded, unable to reach safety in the U.S. despite having been approved for resettlement. The travel ban and restrictions impacting nationals of 19 countries means millions more have no chance of rebuilding their lives or being reunited with family.
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, built on the foundation of the overwhelmingly bipartisan Refugee Act of 1980, serves those who have demonstrated a credible fear of persecution and harm based on race, religion, nationality, social group, or political opinion. These are the world’s most vulnerable people. We reject the prioritization of those who have not been properly screened over the thousands who have already been thoroughly vetted, and have waited years, sometimes decades, to be resettled.
We must adapt. We want to be here to welcome refugees again, whenever that becomes possible. We also know that resettlement alone is not enough. All immigrants — including refugees who are already here — struggle to achieve self-sufficiency, and too few are actually thriving after several years in the U.S.
We know what to do. IRIS has over 40 years of experience serving newcomers through their first five years, and often much longer through case management, education, legal, and employment programs.
We are exploring new partnerships and deep collaboration to maximize every dollar while expanding our reach and ensuring our sustainability.
We’re ready to keep fighting — for those in danger, for those already here, and for the values that define us. This is a moment of crisis — but also of moral clarity. Join us.
Before careers, legal cases, language access, or civic participation — people need a roof, food, and someone in their corner. IRIS provides a foundation of core stabilization support so families can move forward with confidence:
Help finding and keeping safe, stable housing
Through IRIS’s pantry and community partners
Connections to physical and behavioral health care
Flexible, trauma-informed support for families as they navigate multiple systems
Including furniture, groceries and household goods
Career counseling, job skills training, and outreach to employers
Medical appointments and system navigation training
Adjustment of status, U.S. citizenship, and resources/referrals
Enrollment for children in school, tutoring, and daily English classes for adults
Critical support achieving self-sufficiency for refugees, humanitarian parolees, and asylumseekers
For over 40 years, IRIS has helped thousands of refugees and other displaced people start new lives in Connecticut and across the U.S. Learn about their difficult journey, the challenges they encounter as they settle in, their aspirations and dreams for the future, and the many ways they enrich local communities.
The Constitution guarantees ALL residents of the U.S. freedom from tyranny and civil liberties. These wallet-sized cards remind us of those core freedoms, speech, assembly, press, religion, petition, and other key rights.
Listen to IRIS’ Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem discuss the true meaning of Red, White and Blue!
Immigrants and their children are a vital part of Connecticut’s present and its future. Comprising 15 percent of the state’s residents, immigrants have driven all population and workforce growth over the last decade and a half. In addition, about 30 percent of Connecticut children are part of immigrant families. READ MORE
VENEZUELA
UKRAINE
AFGHANISTAN
SYRIA
HAITI
SUDAN
Ethiopia
At a time when policies are freezing green card applications, stalling asylum decisions, and throwing long-settled families into uncertainty, IRIS is staying focused on what matters: safety, stability, and real community for newcomers.
Media inquiries:
IRIS: Maggie Mitchell Salem, msalem@irisct.org
Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services (IRIS) Collaborates with League of Women Voters of Connecticut for Constitution and Citizenship Day
Partnership raises awareness of the importance of voter registration, provides translated materials
NEW HAVEN, CT — In honor of this year’s Constitution and Citizenship Day, Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services (IRIS) and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut (LWVCT) are reminding newcomers and the community at large of their partnership to ensure that new citizens are able to access and participate in America’s elections. Each organization carries its own mission and history, but each has a simple conviction: a democracy that values the constitution and citizenship must be one where everyone can participate fully and with dignity.
“Taken together, these two organizations’ missions form a response to the particular challenges of this moment: deep polarization, the spread of disinformation, and barriers to civic participation,” said Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director of IRIS. “For many families IRIS serves — newcomers shaped by past experiences in countries where political engagement carries life-threatening risk — voting and civic life can feel distant or even dangerous. That is where collaboration matters.”
The League of Women Voters of Connecticut focuses on the engine democracy runs on: informed, active participation in elections. The League is nonpartisan but not neutral about democracy itself. It believes every eligible voter should be able to understand the issues, access the ballot, and have their vote counted — no exceptions.
IRIS has been translating LWVCT voter education materials into the languages spoken by refugee and immigrant communities. “When a newly naturalized citizen receives clear, trustworthy, nonpartisan information about how to register and where to vote in their first language, a door opens,” Mitchell continued. “The message arrives alongside the words: you belong here; this democracy is yours too.”
“How great is it in America to be able to vote in free and fair elections?” said Patricia Rossi and Laura Smits, Co-Presidents of LWVCT. “Live in another country for a while and see how rare and precious that is!”
Voter registration materials offered by the LWVCT have been translated into multiple languages including Spanish, Swahili, Portuguese, Chinese, Pashto, Dari and Arabic. Residents can access the translated materials at:
Chinese
Pashto
Dari:
Arabic
About IRIS: Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services
IRIS welcomes refugees and other immigrants, helps them rebuild their lives, pursue their dreams, and contribute to the vitality of their communities. Founded in 1982, IRIS advances economic mobility, legal stability, language equity, and civic engagement through its New Americans platform. Learn more at irisct.org.
About the League of Women Voters of Connecticut
The League is a political grassroots network and membership organization that believes the freedom to vote is a nonpartisan issue. For more than a century, we’ve worked to empower voters and defend democracy. As a women-led organization, we encourage everyone to take part in our democracy.
PUBLISHED BY THE DAY Oct 29, 2025
Attorney General William Tong speaks at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation in New London on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The event by Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services focused on the impact of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. (Alison Cross/The Day)
PUBLISHED BY THE HARTFORD COURANT
Originally Published:
IMMIGRATION RESOURCE HUB
