Stories
Welcome to Akron: How Immigrants and Refugees are Contributing to Akron’s Economic Growth
The “Welcome to Akron: How Immigrants and Refugees are Contributing to Akron’s Economic Growth” report highlights how immigrants play a critical role in supporting Akron’s growth and development—by starting businesses that create local jobs, participating in key industries in the labor force, paying taxes and contributing to consumer spending, and by increasing housing values in… Read More
With the Proper Tools, Immigrants can Boost Housing Values, says Financial Educator
Irene Caudillo’s father, a Mexican immigrant, didn’t get a bank account until he was 62 years old. He was typical of many immigrants, then and now — wary of banks and unaware that mortgages and business loans are available to them. The unbanked, as they’re called, end up more likely… Read More
Refugees and Immigrants Are of ‘Critical Importance’ to Maine’s Economic Development, Says Lewiston’s Deputy City Administrator
In the 1940s, the economy in Lewiston, Maine, was thriving thanks to a booming textile industry. But when many of those factories began closing in the late 1950s, and the city’s flagship department store, B. Peck & Co. closed in 1981, the jobs and the people who needed… Read More
Vietnamese Refugee Dedicates Her Life to Empowering Women and Girls
“Words just resonate,” says writer, activist and Vietnamese immigrant Chay Douangphouxay. “With the right words, you can either build or break a person.” And so Douangphouxay, who came to the United States as a child refugee and has a full-time job in healthcare development at Target, dedicates all of her… Read More
Ambitious Venezuelan-Born American College Student Wants Greater Educational Opportunities for All Immigrants
Venezuelan immigrant Barbara Galizia, who is currently majoring in International Relations at American University, has never taken her life in the United States for granted. She immigrated here as a child along with her parents and sister. “It wasn’t easy for my parents to leave their family and make all… Read More
“You Have to Give and Take,” Says Miami Republican Leader
It took years for Vincent Foster, president of the Miami chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), which represents politically conservative LGBT Americans, to become a vocal supporter of the GOP. “It was actually after I came down to Florida and started a dual-degree program in political science and philosophy… Read More
This Indian-Born Immigrant is Unshackling Opportunity
A few years after arriving in the United States in 2005 to work for a large multinational corporation, Indian-born entrepreneur Nitin Pachisia decided to start a company of his own in California’s Silicon Valley. U.S. immigration policy nearly got in the way of his efforts, presenting incremental challenges on top… Read More
President of U.S.-India Chamber of Commerce Dallas/Fort Worth Explains Slow Immigration Process’s Negative Economic Impact
When Neel Gonuguntla was appointed president of the U.S. India Chamber of Commerce Dallas/Fort Worth in 2014, her mission was to unite the Indian business community with the area’s non-Indian business community. “We want to make sure that the broader community is aware of the on-goings in the Indian business… Read More
Immigration Policy Nearly Prevented This Jordanian-Born Entrepreneur from Bringing Millions in Investment to America
Everything was going well for Mohannad “Moh” Arbaji. It was September of 2015, and he had just raised $2 million in venture capital funding for his educational prep business, Chalk Talk. But after a temporary trip to his native Jordan, where Arbaji had traveled to expand his investor pool, the… Read More
Co-Founder of Minneapolis Law Firm Sees Immigration and Human Rights Inextricably Tied
For attorney Veronica Walther, co-founder of the Minneapolis-based firm Walther Goss Law, immigration rights and human rights are one and the same. Walther didn’t always see things this way. Initially, she wanted to be a human rights lawyer, something she described in her application essay to Minnesota Law School. “I… Read More
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