Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI)

CIRI praised the inauguration of President Joe Biden, arguing that many of the Trump administration‘ immigration policies should be reversed. The Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants provides programs and services for legal aid, job training, translation services, and assistance to victims of human trafficking and unassisted minors.

History

The Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants began in 1918 as part of a YWCA specialized department to provide services to new immigrants. ¹ Later, the YWCA’s War Work Council changed its name to the Department of Immigration and Foreign Communities and established institutes in more than 60 cities in the United States including the International Institute of Connecticut. ¹

The Connecticut branch changed its name to Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants in 2017. ¹ CIRI has six office around the state and is the only statewide organization offering services to immigrants and refugees. ²

Positions

The Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration and advocated for increasing the number of refugees, terminating Trump administration-era travel restrictions, providing immigrants access of government programs, and undoing what CIRI called the harm the Trump administration caused to immigrant and refugee communities. ³ In 2020, CIRI criticized the Trump administration for proposing not counting illegal immigrants in the U.S. Census. ⁴

Services

The  nonprofit CIRI offers refugee services, immigration legal services, translation services, economic empowerment, and conducts a project rescue division. ⁵ CIRI provides refugee services that provide support to refugees for up to five years after arriving in the United States. ⁵

Immigration legal services provides legal help to immigrants in four cities across Connecticut. ⁵ Translation services assists immigrants, governments, and corporations in the state in multiple languages. ⁵

CIRI provides job training, job placement services, and financial literacy education through the economic empowerment division. ⁵ CIRI’s project rescue assists victims of human trafficking and unaccompanied minors with guidance on legal aid, case management, and referrals to community service providers. ⁵

Financials

In 2022, the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants reported net assets of $1,336,746. ⁶ According to the organization’s tax returns, in 2022 CIRI recorded $6,924,109 in revenue and $6,516,574 in expenses. ⁶ In 2021, the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants raised $6,185,902 in revenue and $5,766,403 in expenses. ⁷

Funding

In 2023, the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants received a $250,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation. ⁸ In 2022, M&T Bank provided CIRI with a grant as part of a larger $6 million effort to donate to 44 organizations throughout Connecticut. ⁹ In 2021, CIRI received a $22,500 grant from Fairfield County Community Foundation for assistance to the rapid re-housing project for human trafficking survivors. ¹⁰

Leadership

Susan Schnitzer became the president and CEO of the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants in 2020 after previously spending three years as the director of programs and compliance. ¹¹ Schnitzer previously worked as the director of grants and program administration at the Center for Family Justice. ¹¹