Stories
‘Becoming a Citizen Would Mean Finally Being Accepted in My Own Country’
Like her parents, Leslie Arreaza is an undocumented immigrant. But while her parents are still working hard in low-paid jobs, Arreaza is majoring in psychology at Meredith College, working at a student-run preschool for children with autism, and dreaming of a career as a high school psychologist or counselor. “There’s… Read More
Immigrant Soldiers ‘Motivated by American ideals,’ Says U.S. Vet
Serving in a U.S. Army intelligence unit in 1990s South Korea, Stephanie Izaguirre learned what it meant to be an outsider. “It is a beautiful culture, but I had to give up everything I knew to experience this whole other part of life,” she says. “That opened my eyes about… Read More
Dreamer Wants to Give Back to U.S. — To Do So Needs DACA
Ana Ramirez grew up in north-central Washington, studying hard, earning good grades, and believing she had the same opportunities as her peers. It wasn’t until she was a freshman in high school that she learned the truth. After being accepted into a European summer study program, she ran home to… Read More
Immigration Reform Calls For ‘Complete Shift in Mentality,’ Says Georgia Lawyer
“I come from a very conservative family, but my parents raised me to believe we are all equal in God’s eyes,” says Ashley Deadwyler-Heuman, an immigration lawyer in Macon, Georgia. “Our horrific immigration court system treats many people without dignity or respect. Being able to level that playing field is… Read More
Mexican Wife’s Rocky Road to Citizenship an ‘Eye-Opener’
“You should see my wife on the Fourth of July, decked out in red, white, and blue,” says Scott Rickles, a Georgia native and the co-owner of a successful language school in Carroll County. “She’s extremely patriotic and loves this country to her core.” His wife, Rocio, was an Assemblies… Read More
In Immigrant Faces, Holocaust Survivor Sees Her Own Family’s Past
Diane Portnoy was 3 when she passed through Ellis Island with her parents — Polish refugees who lost their families in the Holocaust. Now she runs The Immigrant Learning Center, a free language and skills training center in Malden, Massachusetts, for immigrants and refugees. Portnoy has taught English to 9,500… Read More
Helping Immigrant Workers Helps U.S. Workers and Towns, Says Mainer
As the client services coordinator for Mano en Mano (Hand in Hand), Christina Ocampo understands that helping undocumented farmworkers and other immigrants prosper has a positive impact overall on America’s communities. Nationally, undocumented immigrants account for more than 36 percent of the agriculture workforce. And because this… Read More
With DACA, a Young Woman is Able to Help Americans Start a Business
When Dalia Garcia was 4, her parents brought her across the Mexican border without immigration papers. Back home, they had struggled to find work and feared for their safety because gang violence had taken over their home city of Oaxaca. Life in America was not always easy, because Garcia and… Read More
Arkansas Accountant: Immigrants Pay A Lot Into Local Economies
As the owner of All Services Consulting in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Jacquelynn Cadena helps immigrant entrepreneurs run their businesses efficiently and profitably. She advises them on bookkeeping, insurance, and filing taxes — whatever clients need to best serve their customers and the local economy. With hundreds of clients since she… Read More
Pastor Shares the Gospel’s View on ‘Welcoming the Stranger’
Carson Rogers is a politically conservative Southern Baptist pastor—affiliations that firmly influence his feelings about immigrants and refugees. He believes equally in effective law enforcement and compassion toward human beings. “Jesus was an immigrant,” says Pastor Rogers. “Shortly after he was born, Herod put out a decree that all the… Read More
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