Kansas, District 3

Head of Employment Agency Says to Grow, U.S. Companies Need Foreign STEM Grads
Ryan Hou’s father served as a general in Chiang Kai-shek’s army, fighting the Chinese communists and idolizing America. His son, Ryan, grew up in Taiwan dreaming of traveling to the United States. So, after completing his military service, Ryan Hou applied to graduate school in America and earned a master’s… Read More

Business Owner: Immigrants Boost the Economy, Revitalize Alabama Town
Robert Hester has owned Hester Printing & Graphics, Inc. in Russellville since 1976. For much of that time, he’s relied on Hispanic immigrants and first-generation customers. “Their business has really helped me,” says Hester. “The invitations for quinceañeras and weddings and things like that are really big. Other people here… Read More

Is there a Link Between Refugees and U.S. Crime Rates?
When a large number of refugees arrive in a given city, does crime rise in subsequent years? It’s a question obviously relevant to many current debates, both in the United States and in Europe. And one many policymakers are focused on now. To examine this issue, we used refugee resettlement… Read More

#GatewaysKC: A look at the economic impact of immigrants in Kansas City
The Kansas City region is one of 20 communities across the country selected to participate in the national Gateways for Growth initiative, an effort sponsored by New American Economy (NAE) and Welcoming America to welcome and integrate immigrants as part of an economic growth strategy. Though the immigration debate has… Read More

Plaintiff’s Motion for Prelimary Injunction
Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction asks the Court to order Defendants to stop their unlawful detention practices while the lawsuit is ongoing. The expert declarations and fifteen photos posted below are exhibits filed in support of this motion. The Court has not yet ruled on this motion.

This Regional Franchise Owner Recognizes Value of Immigrant Business Owners
As the regional franchise owner for commercial cleaning giant Jan-Pro Cleaning Systems Midwest, Alison Mairet oversees more than 40 franchisees, ranging in size from single-person businesses with revenues of $5,000 a year to million-dollar operations with large teams that serve scores of commercial clients. Mairet estimates that 40 percent of… Read More

A Former Undocumented Immigrant is Behind One of Kansas City’s Most Popular Youth Soccer Facilities
Raul Villegas had been living in America as an undocumented immigrant for more than 20 years when he decided to build an indoor soccer facility in Kansas City, Kansas. That was in 2013, long before the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, removed the threat of deportation for… Read More

Reverend Says Immigration Saved Kansas City Neighborhood from “a Slow Death”
Rev. Rick Behrens was born in the Central Avenue neighborhood of Kansas City, a few blocks from Grandview Park Presbyterian, the church where he began seminary training in 1982, and where he now serves as pastor. “It’s the only church I’ve served my whole career — I’m a one place… Read More

With the Proper Tools, Immigrants can Boost Housing Values, says Financial Educator
Irene Caudillo’s father, a Mexican immigrant, didn’t get a bank account until he was 62 years old. He was typical of many immigrants, then and now — wary of banks and unaware that mortgages and business loans are available to them. The unbanked, as they’re called, end up more likely… Read More

Kansas City App Developer Sees Immigrants Helping Revitalize the American Heartland
More than 90 percent of the residents of Overland Park, Kansas, are American-born — but when Vijay Ainapurapu goes to work at the Sprint Nextel headquarters, where he’s an IT architect and app developer, he’s routinely surrounded by people hailing from places like Brazil, the Philippines, Hong Kong,… Read More
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