Stories
Esteemed Scholar and Khmer Rouge Refugee Speaks to Value Immigrants Bring a Country
When it comes to immigration, noted professor and political scientist Dr. Sophal Ear recalls a statement on Indochinese refugees made by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. “He was basically saying that America is a nation of refugees,” Dr. Ear says. “His point was, everybody who has come to… Read More
Weekend Reading: Highlights from this week’s immigration news (June 20-24)
This week, the Supreme Court held a split vote on immigration, resulting in a maintained block on President Obama’s plan to protect from deportation millions of undocumented immigrants who are parents of citizens or permanent residents (DAPA) and young people who were brought to the United States before their… Read More
Cuban Immigrant, Business Leader, and Veteran Believes America’s Growth Starts with Immigration
If local governments handed out MVP awards to their community members, Jorge Gutierrez of Woodstock, Virginia would surely be in contention. Four years ago, after 26 years of service, he retired from the United States Army and opened his own consulting business, BMOC Group, which is estimated to generate around… Read More
Virginia Pastor Doesn’t Want to See his Parish’s Families Torn Apart by Immigration
As lead pastor at Iglesia Asambleas de Dios Vida, also known as Assemblies of God Church, in Manassas, Virginia, Juan Hernandez leads a church of approximately 200 congregants, many of whom are immigrants. “People from different countries bring so much knowledge,” says Hernandez. “They are doctors and lawyers. We have… Read More
Despite Challenges, Undocumented Youth Earns Her Degree While Giving Back to the Community
Shawnee Taveras, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who recently earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, has come to recognize that immigration reform — and a new attitude toward undocumented individuals — is vital. “When we came here, we didn’t come to steal; we came to get a better education,”… Read More
This British Immigrant Entrepreneur Calls Immigration “The Ultimate Entrepreneurial Act”
British immigrant Foulis Peacock has already made one fortune, turning the HR publication he founded, DiversityInc, into a $10-million business before selling his stake in 2009. Now he’s looking to repeat the success by launching Immigrant Business, a web based company serving America’s immigrant entrepreneurs. It’s a success story that he says would only have been possible in America. “In… Read More
From Flea Markets to International Board Rooms, Malaysian American Epitomizes Immigrant Entrepreneurship
“My mom always encouraged me to be entrepreneurial,” says serial entrepreneur and angel investor Cheryl Yeoh. As a teenager in Malaysia, Yeoh would sell inventory from her mother’s catalogue company to local corporations and set up flea markets during school holidays. “I learned a lot about sales, negotiations,… Read More
South Carolina Nonprofit Director Knows Firsthand the Importance of a Welcoming Community
As a Mexican immigrant, Adela Mendoza knows the importance of a welcoming community. After arriving in the United States at age 24 to study English at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, she married an American and set out to make a place for herself in her new home. When… Read More
This Peoria-Based Doctor and Medical Professor Sees Everyday How Immigrants Help Her Community Thrive
Between 1971, when Dr. M. Miller joined the faculty of the newly opened University of Illinois College of Medicine in Peoria, Illinois, and today, she has seen the city’s foreign-born population more than double. She attributes much of the area’s economic success to their contributions. On a personal… Read More
Republican Professor Says Immigration Reform Is Vital for the U.S. Economy
During his 33-year career as a professor at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine at Peoria, Tom Hjelle, now retired, witnessed a dramatic demographic shift in the medical school. What began as a predominantly white and male student body transformed into one that draws men and women from different… Read More
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