State-Level Political Environment
Chinese Immigrant Rerooted Herself in Roanoke—And Became a PhD-holding Professor
Rebecca Chang moved to Roanoke to be with her husband, whom she met while on a work assignment in the United States. This was in 1990, when few from mainland China called Virginia home. Her husband had to briefly travel a few months after she arrived, leaving her alone… Read More
After Escaping War, Bosnian Refugee Helps Others Make Roanoke Home
Elvir Berbic’s family fled Bosnia when war broke out in 1992. “One day I went to school, and out of four grades—so about 80 students—10 showed up to class,” Berbic says. “They told us, ‘School is over. We don’t know when it’s going to be open. Go home. Be… Read More
Richmond Times-Dispatch Opinion: Luis Angel Aguilar column: Fighting to stay out of the shadows
Since I was 15 years old, I’ve always felt anxious about looking for a job. I worried an employer might discover I was an undocumented immigrant. For nearly a decade, I managed to slide under the radar and take whatever jobs I could get in construction, restaurants and hotel housekeeping. Read More
New Report Shows More Than 30 Percent of San Antonio’s Business Owners Are Immigrants
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Immigrant households earned nearly $4.6 billion in 2017 and contributed more than $1 billion in taxes, according to a new research brief released by New American Economy (NAE) in partnership with the City of San Antonio and the San… Read More
Mexican Immigrant Builds Her Way from Small Business to Presidential Appointments
Patricia Stout long had the confidence to go her own way. Born in 1940s Mexico, she pursued business and math in school, took an airline job in the United States, married an American and, in 1974, moved to San Antonio. Although she felt isolated — “it was a different… Read More
The New York Times Opinion: I’m the child of immigrants. I’m not giving up on the Republican Party.
I was drawn to the Republican Party because of my conservative principles — family-oriented, religious and socially conservative. But it has been difficult to reconcile my allegiance to the party with its devolving evermore into a mouthpiece for President Trump’s dangerous views and policies, especially with regard to immigration. This… Read More
Houston Chronicle Opinion: Texas has a nursing shortage. Don’t prevent me from becoming one.
As a freshman at Texas Woman’s University, I’m working toward my dream of becoming a nurse. I hope to give compassionate care to Texans and also help address the state’s nursing shortage because of a growing demand for nurses and lack of… Read More
Lexington Herald-Leader Opinion: I’m a Dreamer fighting for civil rights – and my place in America
The first time I boarded a U.S. domestic flight, I was 17 years old. I was traveling to Denver to present at a National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) conference, and I beamed as I showed my ID and was waved through security. As a Dreamer, brought here from El Salvador… Read More
Without an H-4 EAD, Hotel Owner Could Lose Business, Fire U.S. Workers
Several times a week, Rakesh Patel makes the 98-mile commute from his home in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, to the Gateway Inn & Suites he owns and manages in Waupun. Although the drive can be taxing, Patel is thrilled to run his own business. “I love the… Read More
Waco Tribune Opinion: Waco Cha enables entrepreneurs to bring their world to downtown
If you have ever tasted the bubble tea, a cold drink made with iced tea, sweetened milk and normally sweet black balls or “pearls” made from tapioca, at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, then you know it’s a tasty treat. Local therapist and Taiwanese-American Jaja Chen and her husband, Devin… Read More
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No one should face the immigration system alone
