Stories
Immigrant Dishwashers Do the Jobs Americans Don’t Want, Says Mexican-American Restaurant Owner
When Jose Villa was a 16-year-old dishwasher, he didn’t mind putting in 72-hour weeks or working the graveyard shift at a diner in Kingston, New York. He didn’t mind the mile long walk back to the house he shared with four other people. It was very hard work, Villa says,… Read More
U.S. Immigration Policy Forces Talented PhDs to Leave the Country, Says Wash U Chancellor
As the chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, for more than two decades, Mark Wrighton has seen countless talented international students graduate from his institution and then be pushed out of the country. “We train our students to become leaders in their fields, only to send them… Read More
Immigration Policies Are Stifling the Growth of this Miami-Based Digital Marketing Firm
EveryMundo, a technology company who creates products and services to drive qualified traffic directly to airlines’ websites, has experienced tremendous growth in the last five years. Despite employing 45 people and partnering with 20 international airlines, U.S. immigration policy continues to frustrate its founders, Seth Cassel and Anton Diego, who employ international employees to assist… Read More
Immigrant Professor Aims to Solve Dental Health Issues Costing Americans $60 Billion per Year
Shortly after the Chinese Cultural Revolution — a decade that saw the brutal persecution of intellectuals — China reversed course and started seeking foreign brainpower to help salvage its ravaged economy. As part of Deng Xiaping’s sweeping economic reforms, the state began sending its most promising students to overseas universities. Read More
Afghan Entrepreneur is Behind one of Maryland’s Most Successful Technology Startups
Haroon Mokhtarzada knows all too well what it’s like to start over. When he was just 3 years old, his parents fled the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, ultimately moving their family to the United States as political refugees. Although his family was quite well off back home, the war… Read More
Utah Is Begging for Workers Then ‘Making Them Hide in the Shadows,’ Says Senior Citizen Activist
Dee Rowland remembers when she first realized how large the Hispanic immigrant population in Utah really was. “We started having masses in Spanish, and people just came out of the woodwork,” Rowland says. “We just didn’t realize how many people were here until they started filling our churches.” Rowland is… Read More
Even Facing Immigration Hurdles, This Singapore Native Started a $40 Million Business
“I would have started my business much earlier if not for the limitations posed by U.S. immigration laws,” says Shan-Lyn Ma, the co-founder and CEO of Zola – a $40 million modern wedding registry business. Ma, who was born in Singapore but grew up in Australia, moved to… Read More
Southern Baptist Seminary President Says Christians Should be at the “Forefront of Calling for Immigration Reform”
The Economist calls Dr. Albert Mohler “one of America’s most influential Evangelicals.” As chief executive officer and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) in Louisville, Kentucky—the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world—he oversees an institution with… Read More
Retiree to Immigrants: Prescott, Arizona, is ‘Everybody’s Home Town’
Every Friday in Prescott, Arizona, retiree Dennis Duvall stands in the town center holding an 8-foot-long red banner that proclaims “Immigrants and Refugees Are Welcome.” “Immigration has been a big issue here in Arizona,” Duvall explains. “Because of our border here with Mexico, it has been virtually divisive. Arizona is… Read More
Green Energy Entrepreneur Succeeded Despite our Cumbersome Immigration System
Tom Szaky, a green energy entrepreneur, credits his immigrant experience with helping him see a business opportunity few others did—and having the motivation to pursue it. Szaky, who was born in Hungary, fled the country at the age of four with his family. Settling in Toronto, Canada, Tom says… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
