Stories
Young Advocate: Without Newcomers, Economy Would Not Survive
After his father’s cancer returned in 2016, Phillip Germain, then 18 and a college student, took care of him. It was a pivotal moment for the young man. His father’s care was contingent upon affordable healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Social Security. In short: public policy decisions… Read More
The 21st Century University — and Economy — Depends on International Students
“What people don’t understand is that education is a business right now — especially international education,” says Karin Lee, chair of the Mississippi Association of International Educators and Study Mississippi Consortium. “Nationally, international students account for just 5 percent of the students enrolled in American colleges and universities, and yet… Read More
Florida Dreamer: Americans Do Not Understand How Complicated Immigration Process Is
In 2000, Juan Escalante’s parents fled the violence of their native Venezuela. His mother and father, owners of a small print shop, were subject to targeted carjackings and death threats. Finally, enough was enough. They wanted safety for their three young children. So, in search of a better life, they… Read More
Banker Overseeing Billions While Awaiting Citizenship Says Process Needs Repair
Arindam Majumdar has an engineering degree from India, an MBA in corporate finance and investments from the University of Iowa, and is pursuing a graduate degree in banking from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and a Wharton Leadership Diploma from the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked at… Read More
Iraqi Military Interpreter Yearns to Serve U.S. Through Teaching
Safwat Al Baali is grateful for his housekeeping job at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, on the glittery Las Vegas strip. After scraping by for seven months upon receiving political asylum, he is thrilled to be averaging $17.25 an hour with tips. “My life is so good now,” he says. Al Baali… Read More
Russian Immigrant Builds a School for Newcomers to Strengthen America
Andrey Dolbinin came to the United States from Russia as a college student in 1997. Now he is helping new arrivals adapt, while still maintaining ties to their culture. In 2003, he founded a private bilingual school called Slavic Christian Academy. “I saw the youngest students getting discouraged when they… Read More
Iranian Immigrant Builds Homes and Donates Millions in California’s Central Valley
In 1978, Darius Assemi emigrated from Iran to California, seeking an American education and better career opportunities. Today, the entrepreneur and CEO of Granville Homes, in California’s Central Valley, builds an average of 200 homes annually in the greater Fresno region and employs a staff of 80. Over the last… Read More
Politics Professor: U.S. Universities — and Their Towns — Need Foreign Students
As a child, Leslie Caughell watched her father, who was born in Canada, navigate the “anxiety-inducing” U.S. immigration system. It’s something the family can laugh about now. But far more anxiety inducing today, says Caughell, a political science professor at Virginia Wesleyan University, is the prospect of U.S. universities losing… Read More
Republican Senator: My State’s Economy Needs Immigration Reform
Before becoming a United States senator in 2015, Thom Tillis led North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives during a time when the state unemployment rate dropped after the Great Recession, from 10.4 percent, in 2010, to 4.5 percent, in 2017. Now, however, the state is facing a… Read More
‘Imagine the Growth’ that Legalizing Immigrants Would Bring, Says Policy Analyst
“Immigrants have such great economic potential,” says Mexican-born economist and healthcare consultant Luis Arzaluz. “They come here, they learn the language — they buy cars — and they could contribute even more.” Why did he mention buying cars? Because Arzaluz has the automotive industry to thank for his U.S. citizenship. Read More
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