Center for Immigration Studies
State Senator Grew Up Watching His Immigrant Parents Chase The American Dream — Now He’s Living it
When Kentucky Senator Ralph Alvarado took the stage on day three of the Republican National Convention in July 2016, he told the crowd, “Being the son of immigrants, I saw firsthand their sacrifice to provide our family a better life. I watched their strong and quiet commitment to hard… Read More
Tech Startup Can’t Find U.S. Engineers, Can’t Afford to Sponsor Immigrant Workers
Immigration status was never something Sandeep Ayyappan thought about. As a young Indian immigrant living in Omaha, Nebraska, his parents created a comfortable, stable home and made sure their son received a good education. “I wasn’t a part of my parents’ reality,” says Ayyappan. “My parents always reminded me… Read More
Brazilian Immigrant Succeeds in Bringing Manufacturing Jobs to Minnesota but Says Immigration Policy ‘Did Not Help’
Precision-manufacturing firm Galaxy Enterprises is considered big business in Rothsay, Minnesota, population 600. The company employs nine people, eight of whom are Americans, and brings in more than $1 million a year. Yet getting started wasn’t easy for the firm’s Brazilian founder, Roque Rossetti, thanks to U.S. immigration policy. “My… Read More
Why Does a British Soccer Coach Want Immigration Reform? It Took Her 13 Years to Get A Green Card
Colette Montgomery runs a youth soccer league of 900 families in Edina, Minnesota, serves as an associate staff instructor for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and advises the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association on curriculum, staff development, and policy. It’s her dream career. But it took the English native… Read More
Robotics Expert Is Recruited to the U.S., but Visa Prohibits His Wife From Working
Despite being on track to become a judge in her native England, attorney Michelle Garrod decided to forego her own professional advancement to support her husband, Michael, when he was recruited to be the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for BlackDog Robotics, a division of the American company NPC… Read More
Sales Executive Sees How U.S. Policy Prevent Hard-Working Immigrants from Making Strongest Economic Impact
Carmen Parada, a cybersecurity expert and sales executive at Burwood Group Inc., was born and raised in Acapulco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States to be with her American husband in 1996. Though her computer science expertise helped her land a job almost immediately, immigration policy still posed a… Read More
Behind Closed Doors: An Overview of DHS Restrictions on Access to Counsel
The report describes restrictions on access to legal counsel before DHS, provides a legal landscape, and offers recommendations designed to combat DHS’s harmful practices. It also addresses changes to USCIS guidance made in 2012, intended to expand access to legal representation. Read More
After Spending $1.5 Million on a Hog Farm, Dutchman Learns He ‘Has Not Invested Enough’ to Stay
As the owner of one of Ohio’s largest hog farms, Meindert Van den Hengel contributes significantly to the economy. By the time he finishes building his third barn this year, he will be one of the state’s largest permitted hog farmers. He will have 7,500 hogs across three barns, for… Read More
Dominican-American Contractor Keeps Dozens of U.S. Workers Employed
“We are growing a little too fast now, it’s even scary,” confesses Vladimir Breton, a naturalized U.S. citizen who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 2002. His plumbing and construction businesses have approximately 25 employees and contractors, most of whom are Americans. They’ve been up and… 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
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