Stories
His Mother was Resilient, but Young Mexican-American Says it’s Citizenship That Ensures His Own Success
Jesus Arzola-Vega credits his mother’s intelligence and resilience with motivating him to earn a college degree and become a business policy fellow at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. His mother had arrived in Detroit from Mexico as an undocumented immigrant and, to provide for her three young children, slogged… Read More
Demand for Bilingual Workers Increasing in Maryland
As employers strive to increase their competitiveness in the global economy, they are increasingly seeking candidates who have the language skills necessary to communicate with a diverse customer base, and with operations and competitors overseas. New analysis of Burning Glass data explores the growing demand for bilingual talent in Maryland… Read More
As Immigration Process Crawls, Many Bright Workers Leave the Country, Says Immigrant Tech Worker
Shri Balachandran, a technology specialist in Plano Texas, knows that America’s strength depends on its ability to recruit and retain international talent. “In technology, roughly two of every three people on the technical side and the senior business side of things are usually immigrants,” he says. “The trend is very… Read More
Weekend Reading: Highlights from this week’s immigration news (April 25-29)
On Tuesday, Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan signed into law the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy Act. The law establishes a program to recognize high school graduates who have attained proficiency in at least one language in addition to English. The Seal of Biliteracy is an important initiative to promote foreign language… Read More
Without Direct Path to Citizenship, Child Immigrant Struggles to Find Work
As a customer service supervisor for Delta Airlines, Carlos Garcia spends his day solving problems for airline passengers. They don’t know he spent most of his life living on the outskirts of American society as an undocumented immigrant. Garcia arrived in Atlanta with his parents at age 13, and as… Read More
Clemson Football Star Mackensie Alexander is Son of Immigrants
On NFL Draft Day many college football players are nervously awaiting the opportunity to play for the big league. Football fans will get a sense of what’s in store for their team this year and Fantasy Football enthusiasts will start scouting for the most promising picks of the season. In… Read More
Deep Faith Motivates Nancy Long’s Support for Immigration Reform
In 2015, Nancy Long treated a young bipolar man who came to the crisis center where she worked as a licensed clinical professional counselor. The young man wasn’t medicated properly, and his family feared for their safety and his own. “They were kind of afraid of him when he was… Read More
Business Owner With 45 Employees Began Career With No Work Permit, Sees Same Potential in Immigrants
Kevin Devine did not grow up in an affluent family. His father had an eighth-grade education, and Devine shared a bed with his three brothers until he was 11 years old. At age 14, he started working as a night janitor. On his first day, his employer asked… Read More
Small Ohio Town Would be ‘a Dead City’ Without Immigrants, Says Former Council Member
“If it wasn’t for the Latino community,” says Nelson Cintron Jr., “Painesville, Ohio would be a dead city.” Cintron knows the Painesville Hispanic community well. He owns La Nueva Mia 88.3FM WHWN, a noncommercial radio station that broadcasts throughout Lake County and as far as East Cleveland. It’s a news… Read More
Farm Union Organizer Leads 22-day Hunger Strike on National Mall to Fight for Immigration Reform
Over his seven decades, labor leader Eliseo Medina has, quite literally, proven his hunger for immigration reform. In 2013, the retired international secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a man described by the Los Angeles Times as one of the… Read More
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