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PRESS

2025

December

Immigration Attorney in CT

As holidays approach, pall looms over CT immigrant community. Fear grips amid new federal policy via Hartford Courant

tong-speaking-on-immigration

AG Tong, talking immigration in New London: ‘They will make it if we fight for them’
 via The Day

November

immigrants at the airport

Afghan immigrants in CT fear ‘disheartening’ Trump actions after National Guard shooting via New Haven Register

Bridgeport City Council passes anti-ICE resolution

Bridgeport City Council passes anti-ICE resolution via CT Public

October

Immigrants waiting in line

After four decades, CT organization won’t resettle refugees this year. Here’s why via Hartford Courant

IRIS Passes On Trump-Era Resettlement Contract via New Haven Independent

gop-lawmakers-accuse-democrats-of-using-nonprofit-funding-to-build-political-machine

GOP Lawmakers Accuse Democrats of Using Nonprofit Funding to Build Political Machine via CT Examiner

IRIS-podcast-interview

More Truth Talk About Immigration with Maggie Mitchell Salem via The Space In Between Podcast

Food-Pantry-Johannas-farewell IRIS

Local group ditches federal refugee resettlement now for Afrikaners via Yale Daily News

September

Maggie-Mitchell-Salem-IRIS-ED-interview-WFSB

CT ’25: Stepped up immigration efforts in Connecticut via WFSB

ICE Dept.

CT group plans to educate and support refugees and immigrants via Hartford Courant

August

ukrainian-immigration-refugees-trump-

Dan Haar: The U.S. gave them a home from the Ukraine war. Now it leaves them in limbo via CT Insider

CT refugees fear for their right to remain in the U.S.

CT refugees fear for their right to remain in the U.S. via WSHU

Car washes become target of ICE raids in Connecticut

CT Car washes become target of ICE raids in Connecticut via WTNH

https://www.courant.com/2025/08/04/ct-immigrants-disappearing-from-workforce-amid-deportation-fears-sen-a-self-inflicted-wound-to-our-economy/

CT immigrants disappearing from workforce amid deportation fears – Hartford Courant via Hartford Courant

New bill to be filed by CT Sen. Murphy would re-establish refugee program suspended by Trump

New bill to be filed by CT Sen. Murphy would re-establish refugee program suspended by Trump
via CT Insider

July

mayor of new haven speaking out about ICE

ICE detainment of New Haven high school student draws condemnation via CT Public

application-support-center

Ex-U.S. military interpreter from Afghanistan detained at East Hartford immigration office via New Haven Register

Former Afghan interpreter detained in East Hartford

Former Afghan interpreter detained in East Hartford, attorney says via NBC Connecticut

Afghan Interpreter Seized By ICE via New Haven Independent

immigrant-owned-businesses-in-ct

Trump deportation plan likely to be devastating to CT economy, experts say  via Hartford Courant

Reps in CT speaking about immigration

As political sands shift on immigration, some CT Reps pivot via Hartford Business Journal

After Federal Budget Slashed, Connecticut Agency Serving Refugees Forced to Adopt New Mission –  via btlonline.org

June

Connecticut leaders react to U.S. Supreme Court decision against injunctions on birthright citizenship via WTNH News 8

trump-bans-countries

As Trump suspends ‘They’re not a threat’: Local refugee advocates reeling after Trump travel ban  via NBC Connecticut

May

The great Give - IRIS

IRIS sits atop leaderboard for The Great Give, but dozens of other nonprofits win via New Haven Register

The Great Give 2025 raises record-breaking $4.2 Million for Greater New Haven nonprofits via The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven

refugees in crisis due to Trump cuts

As Trump suspends refugee program, CT organizations struggle to provide services via New Haven Register

A family of Afghan refugees landing in CT, here’s what happened via CT Mirror

IRIS forges ahead in helping new arrivals, despite federal cuts

‘We’re getting it done’: IRIS forges ahead in helping new arrivals, despite federal cuts via CT Public

April

New Haven nonprofits team up to keep 'vital' food pantry open

New Haven nonprofits team up to keep ‘vital’ food pantry open via CT Public

New community partnership saves New Haven’s IRIS food pantry via NBC Connecticut

Lamont, IRIS, CT immigration

New Haven food pantries partner amid federal funding cuts via WSHU

IRIS food pantry to keep doors open thanks to new partnership

IRIS food pantry to keep doors open thanks to new partnership via WTNH

iris-food-pantry-new-haven

Community Soup Kitchen, IRIS collaboration keeps food pantry open via Fox 61

lamont and mitchell-salem- of IRIS

Nonprofits Join Forces To Continue Assisting Refugees and Immigrants, Call On CT To Increase Support via CT News Junkie

The-Impact-of-Federal-Policy-and-Funding-Changes-on-Refugee-and-Immigrant-Communities

The Impact of Federal Policy and Funding Changes on Refuge and Immigrant Communities via The Atrómitos Way

IRIS-soup-kitchen-merge-new-haven

Soup Kitchen, IRIS, Neighbors Team Up via New Haven Independent

March

maggie-iris-south-windsor-town-hall

South Windsor community speaks out in support for immigrants, refugees during town hall meeting via Fox61

Iris-helping-aphgan-immigrants-AP-press

An Afghan family in Connecticut and the group that helps them, struggle under Trump’s funding cuts via The Associated Press

iris-staff

Director: IRIS New Haven office closure won’t derail helping refugees via New Haven Register

IRIS-office-New-Haven

IRIS closing New Haven office amid federal funding cuts, official says via New Haven Register

child on street

Agency aiding refugees is closing its New Haven office via Audacy

Maggie, the ED of IRIS speaking about immigration

IRIS To Shutter Main Office via New Haven Independent

February

“When I came to you as a stranger did you welcome me?”: STM hosts panel on Catholic perspectives on immigration - Yale Daily News https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/02/18/wstm-hosts-panel-on-catholic-perspectives-on-immigration

“When I came to you as a stranger did you welcome me?”: STM hosts panel on Catholic perspectives on immigration via Yale Daily News

immigrants welcome sign at church gate

Refugee Resettlement Organizations Persevere Despite Trump’s Suspension Order via Documented NY

IRIS building with immigrant employee

CT refugee resettlement organizations scramble amid federal funding cuts via WSHU

iris-candlelight-vigil

Refugee resettlement in CT at risk as executive orders upend IRIS via CT Mirror

RunforRefugees

“It’s What Makes Us Who We Are:” Thousands Run, Walk, & Stroll For Refugees via Arts Council Greater New Haven

Run-for-Refugees-2025-runners

Thousands Run Thru East Rock For Refugees via New Haven Independent

maggie-and-staff-at-iris-receiving-donation

The Wessel Fund makes a special contribution to Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, via New Haven Register

run-for-refugees-2025

3,000 participants raise over $100K for IRIS Run for Refugees: ‘Our biggest year yet’ via CT POST

run-for-refugees-3000-runners

IRIS Run For Refugees draws more than 3,000 people to New Haven via NBC CT

iris-run-delayed

Winter Storm Brant could impact major fundraiser race for New Haven IRIS via WFSB

IRIS-church-vigil

Candlelight vigil in Old Lyme raises money for IRIS
 via WTNH

IRIS headquarters in CT

‘Gutting’ federal funding suspension sends city refugee resettlement agency scrambling via Yale Daily News

IRIS-interview-Maggie-Salem

CT ’25: IRIS on Trump’s executive order via WFSB

January

daad-IRIS-immigration-interview

Door Slammed On 20 Afghans Headed For New Haven via New Haven Independent 

CT faith groups support refugee, immigrant resettlement program as federal funds dry up via CT Insider 

immigrant-radio-discussion-IRIS

Immigrants Navigate New Terrain via Dateline New Haven

immigrants photo from NPR

‘Pure cruelty’: CT refugee agencies react to Trump administration moves to freeze funds, programs via CT Public

iris-press-nbc-ct

Federal funding uncertain for Conn. refugee resettlement organizations via NBC CT

Immigration, deportation and refugee resettlement via Fox61

iris-immigrants

Trump Shuts Off $4M To IRIS; Emergency Appeal Goes Out via New Haven Independent

Connecticut leaders react to Trump administration’s immigration enforcement via WTNH News8

refugees eating Thanksgiving dinner

Trump cut the refugee program before. Refugee groups prepare for Round 2 via The Christian Science Monitor

Advocates working with immigrant community in Connecticut

Advocates working with immigrant community in Connecticut via WFSB

immigrants in a line waiting

Beyond the Hype: Navigating the Complexities of Immigration
via The Space Between Podcast

VIEW MORE PRESS
2026  |  2025  |  2024  |  2023 + 

We Don’t Put Politics Before People

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.

DONATE NOW
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 17, 2026 

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: 

English / Spanish

Swahili

Portuguese

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. 

 

 

FILL MOBILE FORM HERE

PUBLISHED BY THE DAY Oct 29, 2025

AG Tong, talking immigration in New London: 'They will make it if we fight for them'

 
tong-speaking-on-immigration

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)

By Alison Cross
Day Staff Writer
 
New London — State Attorney General William Tong visited the city Monday evening to share a message of hope and resistance amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The event at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation was organized by Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, the New Haven-based nonprofit known as IRIS.
Since 1982, IRIS has welcomed and resettled thousands of refugees and immigrants within the state, but Maggie Mitchell Salem, the organization’s executive director, said new federal policies have upended longstanding pathways to legal immigration.
As a result of these changes, Mitchell Salem said IRIS will not participate in the U.S. government-supported refugee admissions program for the first time in the nonprofit’s history, starting on Jan. 1. Mitchell Salem said IRIS will continue to resettle refugees from Afghanistan and other countries without federal funding.
During his speech, Tong described the Trump administration’s policies and actions over the last nine months as “awful, brutal, (and) painful.” Tong spoke about lawsuits he has filed against the federal government to block the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship and coercing states into following the administration’s immigration agenda.
Tong said people often put refugees and immigrants into separate categories but “very often they’re one and the same.”
“My grandparents and my dad ran for their lives (from China),” Tong said. “I’m a kid that comes from refugees and immigrants. I grew up in a Chinese restaurant. … If you go to a takeout joint around here and you see a high schooler ring up your Tuesday night takeout, that was me.”
“In one generation, I went from that hot Chinese restaurant kitchen in the state of Connecticut in Wethersfield, to being the 25th attorney general of the state,” Tong continued. “I don’t tell you that story because it’s a good story, I tell you that story because it is an unremarkable story. It is a story shared by so many people. And there are kids right now, our kids in this city, the sons and daughters and grandchildren of refugees and immigrants who are just like us … and I know they will make it if we fight for them right now.”
Maryam Elahi, the president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, said that right now, children are not getting an education because “so many parents are terrified to take their kids to school (and) pick them up.”
“This is not acceptable,” Elahi said.
Elahi encouraged people to reframe the way they speak about immigrants.
“Unless you’re a Native American, you’re an immigrant in this country,” she said. “Some of us came earlier on boats. Some of us came later by foot or plane or both, but the end result is the same. It’s really important for all of us to change the narrative, to talk about immigrants as all of us, to talk about immigrants as people who bring so much richness to our community and to put our arms around them.”
Jeanne Milstein, the human services director for the city, said that New London’s history is rooted in immigrant communities who have made the city stronger.
“It is our diversity which is our strength. New London is a seaport town. It has always been a rich mix of people. It is a community where everyone is welcome,” Milstein said. “The feds may be trying to kill the American dream, but here in New London, it is alive and well.”

PUBLISHED BY THE HARTFORD COURANT

After four decades, CT organization won’t resettle refugees this year. Here’s why

For the first time in more than four decades Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services made the decision to not resettle refugees through the United States Refugee Admissions program, due to the Trump administration’s intent to shift the program’s focus.
“We will not resettle populations that aren’t refugees,” said Maggie Mitchell Salem, director of IRIS. “That is basically the point. This is not about Afrikaners or right wing groups in Europe. This is not about ideology or politics. This is about our mission. Our mission is to resettle the world’s most vulnerable people who have been screened for the credible fear they possess which keeps them from going home.”
Mitchell Salem added: “We are not a relocation service. We work with and for a very specific population and as part of the humanitarian pathway within this immigration system.”
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the Trump administration “is considering a radical overhaul of the U.S. refugee system that would slash the program to its bare bones while giving preference to English speakers, white South Africans and Europeans who oppose migration.” 
The Trump administration has said that white South African farmers face discrimination and violence at home, which the country’s government strongly denies.
The IRIS board made the decision last month to change course after learning about the Trump’s administration’s plans to change the refugee program, including limiting the number of refugees to 30,000 to 40,000, Mitchell Salem said.
“That only reinforced that decision,” Mitchell said. “We have never had to question the U.S. government’s decision. This is not about who is in charge of our government. We have supported refugee resettlement in Republican administrations, and Democratic administrations without fail. We had to do some critical thinking about whether based on what we understood to be the administration’s policy on the U.S. refugee program, whether there was an alignment between our mission and how they were implementing the program.”
The Church World Service, which IRIS is an affiliate of, and contracts with the State Department to help refugees “expressed its dismay and deep concern in response to the Trump administration’s plans to reduce the refugee admissions’ goal “to the lowest level in history,” according to a press release from the agency.
New numbers reported from the Associated Press suggest the Trump administration is considering admitting far fewer refugees than IRIS had initially learned, with just 7,500 admitted.
Dana Bucin, an immigration attorney and partner with Harris Beach Murtha in Hartford, said the administration’s ban against refugees at the beginning of 2025 is not advisable.
“The entire policy that is against refugees in particular is harmful at a time when the world is seeing a record number of refugees due to wars, civil wars, famine, climate change and a bunch of other factors,” she said. “We have never had so many refugees as we do now and so few tools to deal with them and so definitely in general an anti-refugee policy is not conducive to humanitarian endeavors.”
Bucin said she does not believe that all Afrikaners qualify as a group for refugee status.
“But as attorneys we are open to hearing of any individualized case of persecution for Afrikaners, much like anyone else,” she said.
Since the Trump administration suspended the refugee program in January, IRIS relocated its New Haven office and had to shut its Hartford office.
In fiscal year 2024, IRIS served more than 2,000 people and resettled 900 refugees.
In fiscal year 2025 they were planning to resettle 800 refugees but have only been able to settle 241 refugees as many were denied entry or delayed.
As a result of the suspension of the refugee program, IRIS lost about $4 million in funding and had to lay off employees.
In the United States, some 128,000 refugees have currently been approved for resettlement in the United States and are now stuck in limbo, said Mark Hetfield, president of HIAS, the Jewish refugee resettlement agency. In addition, 14,000 Jews, Christians and other religious minorities in Iran have long been registered with the refugee program.
New vision
IRIS is not suspending its activities though. The organization is realigning its focus to help refugees and immigrants with assistance securing housing, food, addressing health issues and advocating for more English Language Learning programs to help them succeed in the workforce, Mitchell Salem said.
Mitchell Salem said she is concerned about provisions in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill particularly eliminating SNAP for refugees. She said IRIS needs more support to provide basic proteins for refugees in its food pantry.
Targeting ELL programs aligned to workforce development programs is critical, she said, so “people are getting the right vocational training and entering these programs successfully and entering higher paying jobs in the healthcare, hospitality and manufacturing sector. This is a win for the state. The state has to become more competitive.”
Mitchell Salem said IRIS will focus on deepening partnerships with the Chambers of Commerce and workforce boards and adult literacy organizations that exist in every town and city in the state.
In addition to those being barred from entering the country, Mitchell Salem said immigrants who are here are being terrorized. Calling it inhumane, Mitchell Salem said rounding up of people in the community at their place of employment is having an impact on everyone.
“It is going to impact the price of food and whether your grandmother is being taken care of in an assisted living community,” she said. “It is impacting employers. It is impacting tax bases. You don’t remove this significant number of people from our community and have no impact.”
With ICE arrests continuing in Connecticut and immigrant advocates calling for state officials to act, lawmakers are in discussions about increasing legal protections during an upcoming special session.
ICE agents stormed a Hamden car wash Wednesday and detained and took away eight people including a husband and wife and a customer, according to information from state Sen. Jorge Cabrera’s office.
“Since we passed the TRUST Act a decade ago, Connecticut has always carved out exceptions for dangerous felons,” Cabrera said in a statement. ”Democrats don’t have a problem with that. Neither does the governor. What we do have a problem with is Donald Trump and ICE telling us that they are arresting the scum of the Earth – murderers and gang members and pedophiles. And then who do they arrest? Landscapers. Dishwashers. High school kids. People working at car washes.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Originally Published: 

October 17, 2025 at 5:37 AM ED