State-Level Political Environment
WCPO Cincinnati: Surprise: New study ranks Cincinnati one of nation’s most immigrant-friendly cities
CINCINNATI — Believe it or not, Cincinnati is among the 20 most immigrant-friendly big cities in the U.S. That’s according to a new index that measures the impact immigrants are having on the nation’s largest cities and how effectively they are integrating. Released this morning by New York-based … Read More
Grand Rapids Business Journal: Report documents immigrant contributions
Grand Rapids community leaders agreed making immigrants feel like they belong in Kent County not only is right but is economically smart. Foreign-born residents of Kent County contributed $3.3 billion to the county’s GDP in 2016, according to a report presented Sept. 12 by the local Gateways for Growth Project,… Read More
Entrepreneur from Argentina Helps Keep Jobs in Michigan
Natalia Kovicak was 22 when she met her future husband on a beach in Mexico. She had a bachelor’s degree in human resources and public relations from the University of Palermo and a good job with the Coca-Cola company in Buenos Aires. She had also launched her own event-planning business. Read More
Portland Press Herald: Report touts immigrants’ economic contributions to Greater Portland
A new report highlights the growing importance of immigrants in Greater Portland’s economy. Foreign-born residents accounted for 75 percent of the population growth in the Portland-South Portland region from 2011 to 2016, according to the report, which was prepared by the group New American Economy and released Friday. Read More
Iraqi Immigrant Who Served the U.S. Army Now Wants to Serve Maine
Ali Farid and his family had a good life in Iraq. His father worked as an electrical engineer. His mother was trained as an anthropologist. The family of six was safe. And, at age 18, Farid began a lucrative, albeit highly dangerous, job to support his concurrent university law… Read More
Houston Chronicle: Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]
“English! English! Go back to Mexico. You’re in America!” Not so long ago, that response, described in an ethnography by University of Texas professor Angela Valenzuela, is what Texas schoolchildren could expect for speaking Spanish in the hallways. Punishments and reprimands were common experience for students whose open use of… Read More
Mexican Immigrant and Community Leader Appointed to Indiana Statewide Commission
The youngest of three in the Galindo family and at the age of 15, Palermo Galindo left behind Mexico— with his mother’s blessing—in search of greater opportunities in the United States. He joined his father, who was already living and working as a land surveyor in San Antonio, but the… Read More
Ethiopian Immigrant Fulfills Her Dream of Owning a Business
Rhoda Worku was a college student in Ethiopia when civil war broke out. Her father, a high-ranking member of the government, was executed and her mother was imprisoned. Eventually, Worku’s mother was released but life barely improved. “We didn’t have anything,” Worku says. “The government took everything from us.” In… Read More
More Than 100 Leading Economists Oppose Department of Homeland Security Move to Rescind International Entrepreneur Rule
New York, NY — As the Trump Administration moves to dismantle a program known as the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), more than 100 leading economists have issued a statement in opposition to the decision, citing new data about the program’s potential economic impact. Published in 2017, the IER is… Read More
Foreign-Born Residents Paid $430 Million in Taxes in Louisville in 2016
LOUISVILLE, KY – Immigrants in the Louisville metro area paid $430 million in taxes in 2016, including $282 million in federal taxes and $148 million in state and local taxes, according to a new report by New American Economy (NAE), released in partnership with the Louisville Mayor’s Office for… Read More
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