New York, District 24

Immigration Policy Ineffective for Economic Development, Says Iowa CEO
As CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, an economic development organization, Jay Byers is trying to make the region a premier destination for immigrant workers, particularly in job-growth industries like bioscience and advanced manufacturing. “Recruiting international talent, especially in high-skilled industries, is absolutely critical to fueling future economic growth,”… Read More

Syrian-born Cardiologist Practices Where American Doctors Are Most Needed
Altoona, Pennsylvania, has a lot to recommend it: a small-town feel, a beautiful rural landscape and friendly people. But there is one thing that Altoona is missing: doctors. “There is a very high demand for doctors here,” says Dr. Ziad Khoury, a Syrian-born cardiologist who has lived in the area… Read More

News Americas Now: Five Things Caribbean Roots US Elected Leaders Are Doing In The Immigration Battle
As Donald Trump’s immigration plan to round up and deport millions of immigrants moved closer to reality this week, with a new Department of Homeland Security directive, many elected Caribbean roots officials are taking up the hot button issue and trying to help their constituents. Here are five things some… Read More

Stanford Business School Grad Hopes Reform Will Allow Him to Keep Company in Silicon Valley
Russian-born immigrant, recent Stanford Graduate School of Business graduate, and entrepreneur Misha Esipov, 28, is “on a mission to improve immigrant lending around the world” and “build a cross-border credit bureau to connect U.S. lenders to international data.” His company, Nova Credit Inc., is developing an international credit passport system… Read More

The Bible Does Not Waver, says Reverend: We Must Welcome the Stranger
When Rev. Jennifer Crumpton began attending Union Theological Seminary, in New York City, she also began working as a community minister at the nearby Judson Memorial Church, which partnered with an interfaith coalition offering sanctuary to people at risk of being deported. Coalition members “cared about the families, the personal… Read More

Nepali Refugee Doesn’t Let Job, Business or Family Stand in Way of Volunteering: ‘We Want To Give Back’
When Jay Subedi arrived in Syracuse, New York, with his parents, wife, and baby daughter in November 2008, it was one of the coldest, snowiest seasons in recent memory. The city wasn’t just blisteringly cold, but, like the rest of the country, mired in a recession. Subedi, a native of… Read More

Upstate, a Fourth Generation Farmer Makes Passionate Plea for Immigration Reform
Brian Reeves has a hiring problem. Before the fourth-generation farmer can hire seasonal employees from abroad, he must first advertise the job openings in the local media. But Reeves, who sells his produce to both national chains and mom and pop groceries, says he almost never gets any takers. Employees… Read More

Declaration from Kim Hunter
[T]he credible fear interview I attended was conducted like an affirmative asylum interview, rather than a credible fear interview. Based upon over 13 years of experience with the asylum process, I believe my client established her credible fear within the first 45 minutes of a more than three hour interview. Read More

Letter by the Council and AILA urging USCIS to address reports of widespread and recurrent restrictions on access to counsel. (Mar. 24, 2011)
In this March 24, 2011 letter, the Council and AILA urged USCIS to address reports of widespread and recurrent restrictions on access to counsel. These restrictions, documented in a nation-wide survey (http://www.aila.org/infonet/final-results-attorney-representation-before-dhs) of immigration attorneys, included limitations on attorneys’ ability to communicate with their clients, restrictions on attorney seating during USCIS interviews, and limitations on attorneys’ ability to submit documents to the interviewing officer. Read More

Remembering the Benefits of IRCA, 25 Years Later
Twenty five years ago this week, President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), an immigration reform bill which, despite a contentious debate, managed to pass a Republican Senate and a Democratic House. In fact, Reagan called the immigration bill one of the “most difficult legislative undertakings of recent memory” but one that “further generations of Americans” would “be thankful for.” And Reagan wasn’t wrong. Despite criticisms from both restrictionists and advocates that IRCA failed to address future waves of immigration, the benefits of IRCA—as well as the bipartisan support needed to pass it—should give our current congressional leaders something to think about. Read More
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