State and Local Initiatives
They say all politics is local, right? While most of the debate about immigration focuses on congressional action (or inaction), local communities across the country are the ones who feel the value of immigration most tangibly. Now active in more than 50 communities – more than 80 percent of which are in conservative states – the NAE State & Local team works with policymakers, business, and civic leaders to promote policies and programs that help create jobs and drive economic growth. You can explore more of our work on the state and local level here.
Councilwoman: Remember How Country Was Built
First-term City Councilwoman Diane Gibson entered New Mexico politics after a 28-year career at Sandia National Laboratories, where she worked as a prototype machinist and an environmental security and health coordinator. As a recent retiree, she entered public service to address poverty and help the city thrive economically. Gibson believes… Read More
Alabama Pastor: Immigrants ‘Will Give All They Have’
Raul Dominguez, the associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Cullman, Alabama, has moved his family from Mexico to the United States three times to comply with visa regulations. Throughout, he has remained deeply committed to serving the faith community in his small, north-central Alabama town. “The call that… Read More
After a Devastating Hurricane, a Gulf Coast Entrepreneur Builds Community through Media
In 2004, Hurricane Ivan changed the course of Grace Resendez McCaffery’s life. The granddaughter of Mexican-American immigrants had worked as the director of public relations for the Pensacola chapter of the Red Cross. This became a crucial professional experience when the hurricane ravaged the Florida coast, and Spanish-speaking workers poured… Read More
The Columbus Dispatch: Forum focuses on promise of immigrants to Franklin County
The population of Columbus is expected to triple over the next 30 years, and a large part of that growth will be immigrants and refugees. That’s why it is important to start a communitywide discussion about the challenges and opportunities faced by these populations, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said at… Read More
Business Owner: Immigrants Boost the Economy, Revitalize Alabama Town
Robert Hester has owned Hester Printing & Graphics, Inc. in Russellville since 1976. For much of that time, he’s relied on Hispanic immigrants and first-generation customers. “Their business has really helped me,” says Hester. “The invitations for quinceañeras and weddings and things like that are really big. Other people here… Read More
Immigration Policy Needs to Keep Families Together, Says Ohio Lawyer
Eugenio Mollo says that growing up as the child of Italian immigrants profoundly affected him and his career path. “My parents lacked a formal education, but they are the smartest and most hardworking people that I know,” he says. “And so I grew up seeing immigrants who wanted to work… Read More
Grad Aims for Cop Job to Build Trust With Immigrant Communities
After an impressive series of educational successes, Mexican immigrant Elizabeth Becerra is now applying for a job in law enforcement and hopes to work with either the FBI, the Secret Service or the U.S. Probation and Parole Office. Though the application process is long and difficult, she says, “I know… Read More
New Americans in Birmingham Contribute $3 billion to GDP, New Study Shows
Birmingham, AL– Today, the City of Birmingham and New American Economy released a report documenting the economic impact of immigrants in Birmingham, Alabama. Accounting for just 3.5 percent of the overall population in 2014, the foreign-born of the Birmingham metro area made up an outsize 5.2 percent of the employed workforce… Read More
A sudden paucity of waitstaff, hosts, and housekeepers has Maine’s hospitality industry feeling the heat this year.
It felt like a bad omen that, at the Maine Office of Tourism’s annual industry conference, a late-season snowstorm forced labor commissioner Jeanne Paquette to drop out of a discussion on the conference’s main theme, workforce development. An innocuous-sounding topic, but just the thought of “workforce development” can give innkeepers… Read More
Resettled Refugees Contribute Millions to Wisconsin Economy
Since it first opened its doors in 2012, the Christian nonprofit World Relief Fox Valley has resettled 700 refugees in Appleton and Oshkosh, in Wisconsin. “The communities have been supportive, and anyone who doesn’t support the mission doesn’t understand the program or who refugees are,” says the organization’s director, Tami… Read More
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