A long-established agency helping refugees settle in Connecticut is shutting down its New Haven office due to federal spending cuts. But IRIS—Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services—says its work will go on.
“We’re trying to ride the tsunami (of federal budget slashing),” says IRIS executive director Maggie Mitchell Salem, “and work out how we can prioritize client services while also pivoting and looking at expanding or adapting existing programs for the long term.”
IRIS recently lost about $4 million in Congressionally-approved funding on orders from the Trump White House. Mitchell Salem says “adapting” means using funds formerly allocated for the office, which closes at the end of March, for continued staffing. IRIS has cut about 50 percent of its staff in recent months.
“The office closing is a reflection both of our downsizing of staff and of our desire to maximize literally every dollar toward what we think are the priorities—and that is the remaining staffing we need in order to continue serving clients,” adds Mitchell Salem.
Clients often come to the U.S. as they flee war and other threats in their homeland. For example, IRIS is currently helping settle the family of a man from Afghanistan who was allied with U.S. forces at wartime. Afghan citizens who assisted American forces are frequently targeted by the ruling Taliban.
It’s been more difficult to emigrate from Afghanistan since President Trump began his second term in office. An agency that would have been able to help with international travel received a “stop work” order. Still, the father, his pregnant wife and five children successfully made the risky trip on immigrant visas.
Mitchell Salem says IRIS is also assisting more than a thousand Ukrainians protecting themselves from Russia’s unprovoked invasion of their country. They have new reason for concern: reports that Trump is considering the revocation of their legal status in the U.S.
“We have staff who are Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. This really hits home… this is going to be another devasting change.”
Mitchell-Salem credits public support for the ability of IRIS to continue its mission.