Mexican Family Starts Business and Contributes to San Mateo County
Marilu Bedolla-Jaimes In 2000, when four-year-old Marilu Bedolla-Jaimes relocated from Mexico to the Bay area, the only English word she knew was “doggy.” Her parents, who had come to America for better economic opportunities, were unsure of how to address their most basic needs, such as securing housing, a bank… Read More
Filipino Immigrant Family Finds Success in San Mateo County
Althea Avice de Guzman Althea Avice de Guzman grew up in the Philippines with her father and siblings. Shortly after she was born, her mother left the Philippines and emigrated to carve out a slice of the American Dream. In Chicago, Althea’s mom worked odd jobs from gift-wrapping at the… Read More
New Report Shows Immigrants and Refugees in San Mateo County Paid Over $5.5 Billion in Taxes and Held $12.7 Billion in Spending Power in 2019
SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA – A new report released today by New American Economy (NAE), in partnership with the County of San Mateo’s Office of Community Affairs’ Immigrant Services, underscores the critical role immigrants and refugees in San Mateo County play in driving the region’s growth, supporting the local… Read More
New research shows immigrants in Saint Paul make up 35.3 percent of manufacturing workers, 39.2 percent of essential service workers, and 33.2 percent of business owners
Saint Paul, MN – A new report released today by New American Economy in partnership with the City of Saint Paul and the St. Paul Area Chamber, underscores the critical role immigrants in Saint Paul and the East Metro Area play in population growth, business creation,… Read More
Ethiopian Immigrant Couple Start Home-Care Business in Minnesota
Abraham & Aster Giorgis DaluOwners of A&A Reliable Home Health Care In the 1970s, Abe and Aster Giorgis Dalu attended the same high school in Ethiopia — then, a decade later, they reunited by chance in the United States, where they had both settled. Now married, the pair run A&A… Read More
South Asian Couple with Refugee Roots Starts Elder Care Service Business in Minnesota
Souk & Youa HerOwners of Elder Care Day Services Souk and Youa Her are high-school sweethearts who bonded over their families’ shared background as Hmong refugees: Souk was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, while Youa was born in America soon after her parents left a Laotian refugee… Read More
Bhutanese Refugee Becomes Serial Entrepreneur in Saint Paul
Tilak PokwalOwner of Groceries & Nepali Kitchen When Tilak Pokwal was 14 years old, his Nepali family fled their home in Bhutan amidst a wave of ethnic cleansing. Tilak spent the next 18 years in a refugee camp in Nepal, leaving only to get a college education in Kathmandu,… Read More
Statement from NAE Executive Director Jeremy Robbins on Immigration Provisions of House Reconciliation Bill
“The House reconciliation bill would take many important steps to make our broken immigration system more fair, more efficient, and a better driver of economic growth, including a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, essential workers, and TPS and DED holders, along with important provisions to recapture unused visas and allocate… Read More
Congolese Immigrant and Entrepreneur “Sews” Hope in Washtenaw County
Esperance MalongaOwner of U4Hope In 2011, at 34, Esperance Malonga was granted an American diversity visa. It was the fifth time she’d entered the lottery. “When I won, it felt like a dream come true,” said the Congolese native. “I’ve always wanted to raise a family and maybe even… Read More
Congolese Refugee Helps Others Plan for Their Future in Washtenaw County
Deborah NganduRelationship Banker In 2011 Deborah Ngandu accompanied her husband, Alain, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S., where he was pursuing his master’s degree in clinical research at Mayo Clinic Graduate School. They had planned to return home, but in 2012 everything changed. That year, Alain’s… Read More
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