United States of America
Without Immigrants, America’s Restaurant Industry ‘Would Collapse’
Sam Toia is president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA), which advocates on behalf of the industry and its workers. In the state of Illinois alone there are more than 27,000 restaurants, with total sales of $25.2 billion and more than 561,000 employees — nearly half of whom… Read More
Pakistani Doctor: A Muslim Woman ‘Can Make a Difference’
When Zartash Gul, Director of Myeloid Malignancies at University of Cincinnati Health, helps patients enter a potentially lifesaving drug trial, she tells herself: “I have come a long way. And the United States has allowed me to do this.” Gul had plans to set up a hospital in her… Read More
Dreamer Pursues Media Career With Plans to Support Her Family
This summer, when 21-year-old journalism and graphics major Erika Espinoza tosses her cap alongside her classmates at Ball State University, she’ll become the first person in her family to graduate from college. An undocumented immigrant who was brought to Indiana from Mexico when she was 9 years old, Espinoza has… Read More
Fact: Wisconsin Dairy Needs Immigrants, Says Farmer
Ryan Klussendorf was born and raised on a Wisconsin Dairy farm, and today he owns his own operation, tending to 130 cows daily. “Farming isn’t a glorious lifestyle,” he says. “It’s 24/7/365. But it gets in your blood.” Klussendorf’s business, Broadlands Grass Farm, is small enough that he can perform… Read More
Most Foreign Laborers Want to Return Home, Says Immigration Aide
Ricardo Diaz was born in Mexico to an American mother and a Mexican father. He was educated in the United States, and spent summers with his family in Mexico. He’s seen the best of both worlds. Now he works as a youth development program manager for Latino families at the… Read More
Immigrant Farm Workers Offset Population Loss in an Illinois Small Town
The town of Rantoul, Illinois, used to be home to a U.S. Air Force base. Ever since the base shut down, in 1993, the community has struggled to rebuild its population. Meanwhile, a growing agriculture industry has attracted immigrants, primarily from Mexico, who travel north to work in the corn… Read More
‘We’re Working, Staying out of Trouble,’ Says DACA Recipient
When Radi finished high school, she longed to go to college. But as an undocumented immigrant, she didn’t have the same opportunities as her friends, and for years she waited tables at a local restaurant. Things finally changed with the implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012… Read More
An Indian in Kansas Brings Hundreds of Jobs and Free Healthcare
Abdul Arif grew up in a middle-class family in Hyderabad, India, and came to Wichita, Kansas, at 17 to join his brother, who was a naturalized citizen. He’d hoped to get an education in America, but things didn’t go as planned: Arif dropped out of high school, got married, and… Read More
A St. Patrick’s Day Toast to Influential Irish-Americans
St. Patrick’s Day began as a religious feast for the patron saint of Ireland and has since grown into a global celebration of the vibrant country and its people. In the 2010 U.S. Census, 34.7 million residents of the United States claimed Irish ancestry, which is seven times Ireland’s current population. Read More
‘Look Beyond the Surface,’ Says Columbian-American Surgeon
When the patients of Colombian native Dr. Julio Clavijo-Alvarez have a question about their treatment, they don’t have to worry about getting past a wall of staffers. They have his personal cell phone number, so they can just call or text. As his overwhelmingly positive online reviews… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
