Stories

Immigrants Vital to Help Tech Startups Become Multibillion Dollar Companies Here in the U.S.
From the moment he was offered a job at a tech startup in San Mateo, Calif. in 2013, Brazilian-born software engineer Rocir Santiago, worried that U.S. immigration policy would create unnecessary obstacles for his family and career. “The visa process is complex and uncertain. It discourages people from moving to… Read More

He Won the Lottery: One Congolese Man’s Incredible Diversity Visa Story
Bozi Kiekie grew up in a poor farming community in the war-torn Democratic Republic of The Congo, helping his family work the land while also selling bread, gasoline, and fish in order to scrape together enough money to pay for his studies. “I struggled, as everyone in the country did,”… Read More

CEO of Indianapolis Power and Light Believes Immigrants Power State Economy
After graduating from university in Puerto Rico, Rafael Sanchez and his wife sold their belongings and moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to study law – only to realize that Fort Wayne didn’t have a law school. “When you’re young and stupid, your only due diligence is, ‘Where do we know… Read More

Smart Immigration Policy a Competitive Advantage, Says South African Immigrant Entrepreneur
Greg Fisher grew up in a small town outside Johannesburg, South Africa, where he had a successful career with Deloitte and started a corporate e-learning company that hit $1 million in annual revenues before he sold it to a large consulting firm. Now, Fisher, who was recently named one of… Read More

Why Does U.S. Policy Reject Immigrant Talent? ‘Why Are We Economically Restricting Ourselves?’ American Lawyer Asks
Idaho native Richard L. Ruth, the managing principal of Ruth Law, became an immigration attorney after many years in labor law. Today, he has 20 years of experience under his belt. “I find the practice of immigration law extremely rewarding,” he says. “With litigation, I won a lot of cases,… Read More

Why Does a British Soccer Coach Want Immigration Reform? It Took Her 13 Years to Get A Green Card
Colette Montgomery runs a youth soccer league of 900 families in Edina, Minnesota, serves as an associate staff instructor for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and advises the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association on curriculum, staff development, and policy. It’s her dream career. But it took the English native… Read More

Robotics Expert Is Recruited to the U.S., but Visa Prohibits His Wife From Working
Despite being on track to become a judge in her native England, attorney Michelle Garrod decided to forego her own professional advancement to support her husband, Michael, when he was recruited to be the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for BlackDog Robotics, a division of the American company NPC… Read More

Immigrants and Labor Unions are ‘Natural Allies,’ According to Cornell Union Leadership Institute Co-Director
Patricia Campos-Medina spoke barely a word of English when she arrived from El Salvador at the age of 14—but within four years, she had won a full scholarship to Cornell, where, after stints as the assistant national political director for the Service Employees International Union, director for the New Jersey State… Read More

One of Arizona’s Most Prominent Businessmen on Immigration Reform: it ‘Makes Us Stronger in the Global Economy’
Bruce Dusenberry, the CEO and President of Horizon Moving Systems, and former director of UNIGroup, a $1.7 billion transportation and relocation services company, isn’t shy when it comes to discussing immigration. “We’ve restricted things when we get xenophobic, but we’ve also seen President Reagan and the first President Bush do… Read More

Successful Arizona Businesswoman to Congress: ‘Take Off the Political Jerseys and Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform’
Master communication and marketing guru Lisa Urias understands the tremendous economic impact of immigration on her home state. “We have a benefit being a border state, and that benefit is tremendous,” says the CEO of Urias Communications, a company that grosses roughly $6 million annually. “We have almost… Read More
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
