Stories

St. Louis Lawyer Sees Businesses Falter When Immigration Policy Blocks Foreign Hires
A senior partner at Polsinelli, a law firm in St. Louis, Doreen Dodson often works with American businesses that want to hire talented foreign nationals. “Many of these companies want international employees with a specialized skill set, ranging from medical technologists and computer scientists to professional winemakers,” she says. Read More

Pastor Says Bible is Clear on Immigration: Treat Newcomers with Love, Kindness and Mercy
Pastor Jason Aguilar believes the Bible is clear on immigration policy. To him, even the example of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden can be interpreted through an immigration lens. After the couple tasted the forbidden fruit, God punished them, but also showed compassion. “They had… Read More

Ancestry.Com’s Immigration Policy And Lack of High-Skilled American Workers Is Hurting The Company
A revolutionary new DNA product experience at Ancestry.com, a $2.6-billion business, would not have been possible without the contributions of Yong Wang, a senior data scientist, who came to the United States on a visa for extraordinary researchers. Wang’s specialized skill set helped create a product that connects people in more than 30 countries… Read More

Head of Washington Grower’s League Says Immigrant Farm Workers Do Not Steal American Jobs
As head of the Washington Grower’s League for 29 years, Mike Gempler knows how critical immigration reform is to American farmers. He says our guest worker program is complicated, expensive, and often does not bring workers into the country in time to work on highly perishable crops when they are… Read More

Iraqi Refugee Helps Bring Much-Needed Doctors to Rural Idaho
In 2015, Marwan Sweedan, a former U.S. Army medic and infection control specialist in Boise, Idaho was named a White House Champion of Change. After receiving the honor, he penned a short essay about his work helping fellow refugee and immigrant professionals find employment in the United States. “My efforts… Read More

Immigrant Student Lands Dream Job, Leads Alaskan Town’s Economic Revival
Xi Cui received her Master’s from the University of Florida at a time when jobs were scarce. It was 2010, and the country was still struggling from the recession. Cui, who’d come from China to study urban planning, couldn’t find a Florida-based company that could afford to sponsor her work… Read More

Ohio House Candidate Talked Candidly About Need for Immigration Reform
Tom Dunlap spent 18 years in the Huron County Sheriff’s office, including four years as Sheriff. During his career in public service, he’s gotten to know a number of the county’s foreign-born residents. “Over the years many of the migrant farm workers in the muck farm area have stayed and… Read More

H2-A Program Needs Year-Round Employment and Renewability, Says Owner of Third-Generation North Dakota Farm
“The people sitting in an office at the Department of Labor don’t understand the nuances of what it takes to run a successful farm,” says Katie Heger. “And that means the regulations they set are cumbersome, untimely, expensive, and lack an understanding of agriculture and our labor needs.” Heger, who… Read More

Immigration Reform Directly Tied to Agriculture’s Labor Needs, Says Massachusetts Farm Owner
“I spend a lot of time trying to explain why immigration reform is tied to agriculture’s labor needs—many people just don’t get it,” says Mark Amato. The manager of a century-old family farm in Concord, Massachusetts, Amato believes more Americans would support immigration reform if they understood the central role… Read More

A Lack of Farm Worker Visa Reforms Means Higher Produce Prices or More Imported Produce
Jeff Bender’s 400-acre farm grows labor-intensive crops, including tobacco, melons and cabbage. Yet when he needs to hire a dozen people during the peak of the growing season, he often cannot find qualified workers. He’s truly in a bind. He cannot be certain that foreign-born workers are giving him real… Read More
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