Stories
This Entrepreneur Wants the U.S. Immigration System to Better Reward Hard Work
Jennifer Lucio Vargas has entrepreneurship in her blood. The founder and CEO of Miami’s 305 Communications and Events was born to immigrant parents from Cuba, and her father worked tirelessly to put himself through Harvard undergraduate and law school. “He worked cleaning toilets while he was in school,” she says. Read More
Nadina Feakins Helps Give New Immigrants a Voice
When Nadina Feakins left Argentina as a teenager, she admits that she had no idea what she had gotten herself into. “I was just a kid and I had dreams of getting an education in America,” she says. “I thought education was the way, but I was uneducated about what… Read More
Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month
America is a nation of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, and in recognition of this, June marks Immigrant Heritage Month, which honors our origins as a nation of immigrants through community activities and events. Whether it was our mothers and fathers, grandparents, or distant ancestors who made the journey to… Read More
Thanks to DACA, Harrowing Journey of Young Boy Gets a New Ending: a Chance at Law School
Today Javier Hernández is a high-achieving college student and legal assistant who will likely pursue a career in law. And yet as a young boy in San Salvador, El Salvador, Hernández’s future wasn’t nearly so bright. In fact, he had one central fear: That when he turned 12… Read More
Once an Undocumented Immigrant, Pennsylvania Town’s First Lady is Giving Back to Her Adoptive Home
Gisele Fetterman with family. Photo credit: Matthew Hodgman MN. In 2007, when she was in her mid-twenties, Brazilian immigrant Gisele Fetterman read an article about Braddock, Pennsylvania. “I wrote a letter, and the mayor, John Karl Fetterman, wrote back,” she says. Her initial fascination with Braddock was sparked by a… Read More
Chinese Immigrant Wants to Stay in the United States to Strengthen Internet of Things
Even though Yingzhe “Reginald” Fu, 25, just graduated with his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in May 2016, the ambitious young man is already developing a company to advance the Internet of Things. That business, FingerBlocks, aims to connect people’s homes to the internet,… Read More
Advertising Executive and Long-Time Texas Republican Says U.S. Economy Depends on Immigration Reform
Today, Lionel Sosa is the founder of a $130-million advertising agency and a long-time Republican operative, who created campaigns for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. His success—and appreciation for the American political system—is a direct result of his status as a first-generation American. My parents… Read More
Weekend Reading: Highlights from this week’s immigration news (June 6-10)
This week, we feature another outstanding 2016 graduate, Larissa Martinez, a hard-working valedictorian in Texas who is headed to Yale University in the fall. As the New York Post reports in this uplifting video of her speech, she used the podium “to announce her status as an ‘undocumented’… Read More
Georgia Farmer Says Broken Immigration Policy Hurts His Bottom Line
Bill Brim is a lifelong Georgia farmer who’s beyond frustrated with the immigration system’s agriculture guest worker program. Brim relies on the H-2A visa program to hire about 600 migrant workers from Mexico to help harvest the bell peppers, squash, watermelon, broccoli and other produce that grows on his 6,000-acre,… Read More
Morales Group Founder Knows Immigrants Are Vital to Filling the Indianapolis Labor Shortage
The headquarters of the Morales Group is decorated with flags of 27 countries, and the word “Welcome” written in 27 languages. It’s a reminder of the many thousands of people, from around the world that the Indianapolis-based staffing agency has helped to begin new careers in America. The Morales Group,… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone