Center for Immigration Studies
Retiree to Immigrants: Prescott, Arizona, is ‘Everybody’s Home Town’
Every Friday in Prescott, Arizona, retiree Dennis Duvall stands in the town center holding an 8-foot-long red banner that proclaims “Immigrants and Refugees Are Welcome.” “Immigration has been a big issue here in Arizona,” Duvall explains. “Because of our border here with Mexico, it has been virtually divisive. Arizona is… Read More
Green Energy Entrepreneur Succeeded Despite our Cumbersome Immigration System
Tom Szaky, a green energy entrepreneur, credits his immigrant experience with helping him see a business opportunity few others did—and having the motivation to pursue it. Szaky, who was born in Hungary, fled the country at the age of four with his family. Settling in Toronto, Canada, Tom says… Read More
Syrian Biotech Grad Ready to Aid U.S. Cancer Research
When Alnairouz “Nairouz” K. first arrived in America to study biotechnology and genetics at West Virginia State University, the transition was hard. Her family remained behind in Syria, and Nairouz struggled to adapt. “When I came here, everyone spoke English with a different accent, and they spoke very fast,” she… Read More
Immigrants Bring Creative and Economic Capital
To Dominican Republic native Pamela Gomez, the reason immigrants help the economy is a no-brainer. “We are so creative, and we come with cultural and economic capital, with so many different understandings,” she says. Gomez, a graduate student in Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of South Florida,… Read More
Priest: Love ‘the God We Cannot See by Loving the Neighbor We Can’
To Father Phil Egitto, the Bible is crystal clear about immigration. “The message of the Gospel is entirely about loving the God we cannot see by loving the neighbor we can,” he says. “That includes the immigrant, and the refugee, and the foreigner, as our scriptures remind us that we… Read More
Mexican-American Creates Services for an Aging Population
Mary A. Gloria was inspired to found the Pan de la Vida Foundation by her Catholic faith and her Mexican heritage. As a devout Catholic, Gloria believes in Jesus’ teaching to help those in need. As the daughter of immigrants, she grew up around newcomers who spent their days working… Read More
A Multigenerational Path of Migration Leads to Jobs in Florida
Bombay native Sarvar Demehri arrived in the United States in 1981 alongside her husband, an electrical engineer who worked for a NASA subcontractor. She was just 21, and fresh out of college. A few years later, the pair opened their own business in Florida, a company dedicated to home security… Read More
Current Immigration Policy Does Not Benefit Economy, Says Lawyer
“Nothing in immigration is straightforward,” says Martin “Marty” Lester, an immigration lawyer in the Florida panhandle. For example, you’d think that a person who serves in the U.S. military would have an easy time getting citizenship; after all, that person has put his or her life on the line for… Read More
Language Diversity and the Workforce: The Growing Need for Bilingual Workers in Colorado’s Economy
The Seal of Biliteracy has been hailed as an important initiative to recognize high school graduates who have attained proficiency in two or more world languages, and provide employers in their states a method of identifying job candidates with multiple language skills, according to a study by New American Economy. The… Read More
As Colorado Considers “Seal of Biliteracy” Legislation, New Study Shows Increased Demand for Bilingual Employees in State Workforce
Denver, CO– As the Colorado legislature considers the bi-partisan Senate Bill 123, co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Kevin Priola and Democratic Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, on the creation of a state Seal of Biliteracy, New American Economy (NAE) released a study showing the growing demand for bilingual workers in the state. The Seal of Biliteracy… Read More
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