Center for Immigration Studies

Access to Counsel in Immigration Court
Immigrants in immigration court do not have a right to government-appointed counsel. The lack of legal representation has a profound impact on immigrants’ outcomes in removal proceedings. Read More

Third-Generation Apple Farmer Barney Hodges Can’t Find Enough Americans to Harvest His 200-Acre Farm
Barney Hodges III is a third-generation apple farmer and the second generation to run his family’s farm in Vermont. Like his father and his grandfather before him, Hodges depends on migrant labor to keep the family business alive—a farm that pumps $3 million into the local economy each year. These… Read More

Inspired by his Refugee Parents, Cuban Entrepreneur Builds a Successful Liquor Business
When Rick Martinez’s parents sought to leave Cuba in the 1970s, the government punished Martinez’s family. Later, the regime relented and allowed them to leave with only the clothes on their backs. “I look back at everything they did, and I can’t fathom leaving my country like that,” says Martinez,… Read More

CEO of Indianapolis Power and Light Believes Immigrants Power State Economy
After graduating from university in Puerto Rico, Rafael Sanchez and his wife sold their belongings and moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to study law – only to realize that Fort Wayne didn’t have a law school. “When you’re young and stupid, your only due diligence is, ‘Where do we know… Read More

Duke University Student and DACA Recipient Hopes for More Permanent Solution for America’s Undocumented Students
Axel grew up in North Carolina and considers Durham his hometown—but when he won a full-ride scholarship to Duke University, he was classified as an international student. The reason? Ramos is an undocumented immigrant. And so he attended orientation alongside students—including some from Honduras, his country of birth—who had never… Read More

Smart Immigration Policy a Competitive Advantage, Says South African Immigrant Entrepreneur
Greg Fisher grew up in a small town outside Johannesburg, South Africa, where he had a successful career with Deloitte and started a corporate e-learning company that hit $1 million in annual revenues before he sold it to a large consulting firm. Now, Fisher, who was recently named one of… Read More

Alabama Biz Leaders Thank Foreign Workers for a Revitalized Gulf Coast
In 2005, Mobile, Alabama, was growing its shipbuilding sector and completing a $5 billion construction project at its saltwater port. It represented vital growth for the state. And the city’s chamber of commerce, a $6 million operation that serves more than 2,000 members, says foreign-born labor helped make it all… Read More

A Former Migrant Worker Sends Young Immigrants to the Ivy League
Martin Mares has achieved something single-handedly that virtually no other person in the United States has done. He’s personally helped over 280 teenagers from Parlier, Calif. and the surrounding communities, many of them ESL students from poor immigrant families, earn acceptance into the Ivy Leagues. Over a 1,500 more of… Read More

Who Will Care for Our Seniors?
Between 2000 and 2030, America’s elderly population is expected to more than double from 35 million to 71.5 million. This demographic shift will put enormous pressure on the U.S. healthcare system, which is already strapped for workers. A new report by New American Economy (NAE), Who Will Care for… Read More

This Week: Welcoming Week
Last Friday, September 16, marked the start of this year’s Welcoming Week, an initiative of Welcoming America, which connects local leaders, non-profits, and civic organizations to create inclusive policies and programs aimed at welcoming and integrating newcomers into local communities. Last year, more than 22,000 people participated in… Read More
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