Stories
Diversity Lottery Winner Will Help Ease America’s Doctor Shortage
Tarig Elhakim was in medical school in Sudan in 2014 when his father persuaded him to apply for a U. S. residency permit through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, a highly competitive lottery that allows 50,000 people a year to immigrate without a family sponsor or a special skill. Elhakim… Read More
Haitian Immigrant Poised to Fill Critical Need for Computer Science Professionals
Ever since Sheila Laurore immigrated to the United States from Haiti in 2015, she has been working hard toward her goal: A degree and a job in computer science. “I like that in the United States you have the opportunity to get a better life. You can go to school,… Read More
After Rising From Tragedy, an Ethiopian Entrepreneur Feeds the Economy — and Her Community
In 1995, Menbere “Menbe” Aklilu came to the United States with her 11-year-old son, moved to Oakland, California, and became a hostess at the Richmond Italian restaurant Salute e Vita. It may not sound like an auspicious beginning. But by age 10 in Gojjam, Ethiopia, Aklilu had witnessed her… Read More
Immigrant Son a Leading Napa Vintner — and He Needs Workers
In 1968, Mexican immigrant Salvador Renteria was named viticulturist of Sterling Vineyards, a prestigious winery in Napa Valley. It was a tremendous achievement, given that Renteria had arrived in Napa Valley as a grape picker only six years earlier. He worked his way up to tractor operator, then foreman, manager, and… Read More
Rancher: Migrant Workers Must be Allowed to Cross the Border to Help America’s Operations
Jim Vietheer, owner of a cow-calf operation called HAVE Angus and former president of the Sacramento County Farm Bureau, knows how important cattle production and dairy farming is to the U.S. food supply. But this, he says, depends on immigration. “California is the biggest dairy-producing state in the country,” Vietheer… Read More
Head of Employment Agency Says to Grow, U.S. Companies Need Foreign STEM Grads
Ryan Hou’s father served as a general in Chiang Kai-shek’s army, fighting the Chinese communists and idolizing America. His son, Ryan, grew up in Taiwan dreaming of traveling to the United States. So, after completing his military service, Ryan Hou applied to graduate school in America and earned a master’s… Read More
Chicago Writer Examines Her — and Her Country’s — Refugee Experience
Writer Megy Karydes says people are surprised when she tells them she was a refugee. “I look American,” she says. “It’s not as if we wear a T-shirt announcing it.” Although Karydes was born in the United States, her parents, who were Greek citizens, had returned to their home… Read More
Hi-Tech Innovator Wants to Expand Into U.S. — Immigration Policy Makes That Difficult
After suffering long-term shoulder pain, serial entrepreneur Mark Yu started a company — U-Gym Technology — to solve the problem of chronic pain. The Taiwanese-American founder, who was born in Honolulu but raised in Taiwan, developed an app-controlled device that make the muscles contract and release using transcutaneous electrical nerve… Read More
Country Needs ‘Frank Discussion’ on Immigration, Says Islamic Center Leader
In the early 20th century, Midwestern industrialists actively recruited for labor in the Middle East. One family to heed their call were the Dabagia brothers. Around 1908, the five siblings left their small Levantine town and moved to Michigan City, Indiana, to work at the Pullman Standard boxcar manufacturing plant. Read More
On an Arizona Ranch, A Push for Reform
In 1928, Selwyn Justice’s great-grandfather founded the 400-acre Justice Brothers Ranch in Waddell, a small town in Maricopa County, Arizona. Today, Justice, 28, is the fourth generation to manage the organic ranch’s 71-acre “five-season agriculture” business, which cultivates citrus fruits like grapefruits, navel oranges, and lemons, and bespoke fruit like… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
