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A New Beginning for Ministry
A Message from IRIS Director, Hilda Sarkisians
On behalf of everyone at IRIS, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Rt. Rev. Dr. Antonio José Gallardo Lucena on his consecration as Bishop of the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese.
IRIS was born from the vision of a former Bishop and remains a ministry of this Diocese. We are deeply grateful that Bishop Gallardo has a longstanding commitment to welcoming immigrants and their families with compassion, dignity, and justice. This is a moment of great joy and hope for our faith community.
As IRIS continues its mission of serving immigrant communities, we look forward to working alongside Bishop Gallardo in advancing the Church's call to protect the vulnerable, uphold the dignity of every person, and build communities of welcome and belonging.
We offer our prayers for God's abundant blessings as he begins this new chapter of leadership and service.
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These photos are from The Episcopal News' special report on July 13th, taken by Ruben Cortez.
Bishop Antonio's chosen theme for his leadership term is Love and Truth / Verdad y Amor. For the full story on his recent consecration, you can find the article here.
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This month, we're bringing you an advocacy action alert, an event update, a new staff highlight, & more. Scroll to discover the updates!
| | Bright Futures: Refugee School Impact | | | | |
Refugee children are not only processing the trauma of being forcibly displaced, but also the adjustment to a completely new education system and peer culture.
With funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, IRIS provides support to refugee* families with school-aged children. Our coordinators make sure that parents are equipped with knowledge and resources for supporting their kids' development.
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To kick off this program, IRIS hosted a "Bright Futures" event, where resettled families joined for a celebration of their children's completed school year and information on preparing for the next. The young students drew photos of their future goals, favorite animals, and other muses of the moment. Thanks to IRIS donors, the kids went home with school supplies and smiles.
*Asylees, victims of trafficking, and any ORR status are eligible for the RSI program
| | Celebrating World Refugee Day | | |
Though refugee service providers are consistently communicating, once a year, there is a celebration that rallies them and their clients all together: World Refugee Day!
This year's theme was "Honoring Courage. Celebrating Community." Typically honored on June 20th, this year's celebration took place in July to allow space and planning for the 300 attendees! Designed for family fun, the event included dance and musical performances, community resources, meals, and crafts. Thanks to three Staff members, IRIS joined in the festivities!
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IRIS Family Tree: Amila Orucevic
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A Bosnian Bank's Litigator turned
U.S. Nonprofit Leader
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While growing up on the Balkan Peninsula, a position with an immigration organization was never a thought for Amila. Law, yes. Her father was a lawyer, and she planned to take after him.
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Though the country was in a recession at her completion of law school, a financial institution had two positions open for professionals with English skills. Thankfully, Amila's mother had enrolled her in language classes at just four years old. With her study experience, a TEFL certificate, and the best English score of the interview pool, Amila secured the position. After two years at the bank, Amila passed the bar exam and officially worked as an attorney. She earned herself the role of the institution's main litigator and eventually head of the bank president's cabinet.
In 1992, however, the life that Amila and her family had built was shaken...
The rest of Amila's story can be found here.
| | | CA Welcomes Coalition: Renewed Advocacy | | |
If you've been part of IRIS's Welcome Week festivities or supported World Refugee Day, then you may know the collaboration which powers it. The California Welcomes Coalition (CA Welcomes), is the work of unified refugee and immigrant service providers around the state.
Earlier this month, IRIS, CHIRLA, and more coalition partners gathered to strategize services for forcibly displaced folks. Despite turbulent policy changes and funding cuts, organizations have not lost hope.
Talks of radical collaboration, honing current advocacy priorities, and possible service pivots kept the energy up as representatives shared resources.
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Providers agreed that mental health challenges persist in clients, highlighting the need for simultaneous care with housing, employment, and stable legal status. IRIS meets continuously with this coalition to compare grassroots observations and put ideas into action.
A recent win of CA Welcomes' advocacy was securing service funding in the state budget! Funds will be available to awarded organizations for ESAVN (Enhanced Services for Asylees and Vulnerable Non-Citizens). IRIS and coalition collaborators previously received funding to implement these services in prior years, though all will need to apply again for a possible grant.
For more information on CA Welcomes, the coalition 1-pager can be found here.
| | Action Alert: Comment for Continued Haitian & Syrian TPS | | |
Temporary Protected Status:
A humanitarian benefit for people from countries experiencing conditions "that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning safely," such as war, violence, or an extreme natural disaster (USCIS).
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TPS has allowed many Haitians to live and work in the United States, finding refuge until their country's unrest can calm. As of July 10th, U.S. officials still recognize that Haiti's state of emergency continues, having labeled the country as a "Level 4- Do Not Travel."
Yet, USCIS ended TPS status for Haitians on July 24th, 2026.
Hundreds of thousands of people will be forced to return to a humanitarian crisis. Many Syrians are facing the same fate.
IRIS has been a legal service to assist many people who have been forcibly displaced, Haitians included. IRIS is also a local ministry connected to the national Episcopal Church, which puts together action alerts for contacting public officials.
Click the button below for a template to send your comment against ending TPS for Haitian and Syrian nationals.
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You do not need to be Episcopalian to send the message or to stand up for human dignity. The template message is completely customizable, so please add your personal experiences, thoughts, and expectations for our representatives.
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IRIS is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization that offers refugee resettlement assistance and immigration legal aid. We are a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. We embrace people of all faiths (and people of none), races, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, and other markers of difference. Your donation is tax deductible and 100% of your donation goes to IRIS.
Tax ID No. 95-1684078.
Proof of IRIS' nonprofit status and our GuideStar gold badge.
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