Integration
It’s Immigrant Entrepreneurship Month in Massachusetts!
Massachusetts is no stranger to the many benefits immigrant entrepreneurs bring to communities. From family owned restaurants and shops along small town main streets, to large Fortune 500 companies, immigrant-owned businesses make sizeable contributions to Massachusetts. And as a growing number of places around the country make efforts to attract and welcome immigrants, Massachusetts continues to expand the state’s efforts. October 15 marked the start of the third annual Massachusetts Immigrant Entrepreneurship Month, which will officially run through November 15. State groups—including the Immigrant Learning Center (ILC), the New Americans Integration Institute at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), and the state’s Office for Refugees and Immigrants—are leading the initiative, which recognizes the contributions of immigrant business owners and innovators to Massachusetts’ economic development. Read More
Four Out of Nine of this Year’s U.S. Nobel Prize Winners are Immigrants
What does an eight year old boy escaping the Nazis on a boat to the United States have in common with the award-winning chemist who taught at some of the most preeminent Universities in the United States? Easy: they’re the same person. Martin Karplus, an Austrian-born chemist who holds American citizenship was honored last week with the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Karplus was one of the nine Americans Nobel Prize winners for sciences. Of the nine, four of them were immigrants. These awards highlight the importance of immigrants to the vitality of sciences within the United States. Read More
Iraqi Visa Bill Reauthorized Despite Washington Gridlock
On October 4th, with little fanfare, President Obama signed into law an extension of a popular special immigrant visa program for Iraqi translators/interpreters. The law, which passed unanimously out of both the House and the Senate, extends the program, which expired on September 30, until the end of 2013. This rare agreement in the midst of the shutdown stalemate is a reminder that many immigration issues—particularly humanitarian protections—are fundamentally bipartisan. Read More
Massive Immigration Reform Rally Proceeds in Washington, D.C.
After several thousand people rallied for immigration reform in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, more than 100 activists were arrested outside of the Capitol during a protest to push the House to vote on immigration legislation. Those arrested for refusing to move out of the street included eight Democratic members of Congress: Reps. John Lewis (GA), Luis Gutiérrez (IL), Raúl Grijalva (AZ), Keith Ellison (MN), Joseph Crowley (NY), Charles Rangel (NY), Al Green (TX), and Jan Schakowsky (IL). Read More
From Coast to Coast, Immigrants Drive Local Economies
Immigrant entrepreneurship has transformed Atlanta’s northeastern suburbs along and near Buford Highway into “International Village” – an area filled with immigrant restaurants, markets, specialty stores, and other businesses. Through ventures such as Chinatown Square, Asian Square Mall, and Plaza Fiesta immigrants have “economically and socially revived an area that faced economic stagnation and population decline.” As one researcher noted, “the five-mile stretch of highway running through Chamblee, Doraville, and Norcross constitutes the greatest concentration of ethnic-owned businesses in the southeastern U.S.” Read More
California Governor Signs Sweeping Immigration Reforms into Law
On the same day thousands of immigrant activists rallied across the country for immigration reform, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed several bills into law that put the state at the forefront of the efforts to fix immigration policies at the state and local level. Among the measures Brown approved was the TRUST Act, which limits who state and local police can hold for possible deportation. "While Washington waffles on immigration, California's forging ahead," Brown said in a statement. "I'm not waiting." Read More
Immigration Advocates to Take to the Streets in Series of Oct. 5 Events
Immigrant groups along with faith, labor, and civil rights organizations are planning hundreds of rallies, vigils, pilgrimages, and actions this weekend to call on Congress to pass immigration reform. For the National Day of Action for Dignity and Respect on Saturday, more than 130 major mobilization events will take place to send the message that Americans want the House of Representatives to pass immigration legislation that fixes our broken system and creates a path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. Read More
The California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Speaks to the Need for Wise Immigration Reform
On September 26, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights (AB241). Only the third state-level measure of its kind in the country after New York and Hawaii passed their own bills, the Bill of Rights represents an historic milestone for domestic workers and advocacy groups seeking social justice for one of our most vulnerable—yet vital—workforces. The victory is also a triumph of the immigrant rights movement in securing basic labor protections for a group of individuals—in particular, immigrant women—who are often isolated and at risk for multiple forms of exploitation. Read More
White House Honors Local Groups Leading the Way to Welcome Immigrants in Their Cities
Thousands of immigrants every day demonstrate a commitment to being part of America by becoming naturalized citizens every day. These Americans by choice often make huge sacrifices to move to the United State and become part of their community. But it also takes support from the local community to welcome new immigrants who want to establish roots in the area. Groups across the country are stepping up to fill that role and make their cities inviting to immigrants. Read More
Immigration is a Positive Force for Economic Growth in Cities
Posters on metro buses and trains in St. Louis will now welcome you to the city in 17 different languages, one of the many initiatives begun by the St. Louis Mosaic Project to create an atmosphere that welcomes and encourages immigrants to the area. Signs in the public transit system aren’t just designed to look pretty, however, but acknowledge that for many immigrants, particularly those new to the St. Louis region, this is their primary means of going to work or school, shopping, and taking part in all the community has to offer. “The Mosaic Project says a lot about where our region is going,” St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley said. “We want to be more diverse and see things from different points of view.” Read More
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