Center for Immigration Studies

Multilingual Immigrant Uses Her Skills to Advise Corpus Christi Business Community
Growing up under a dictatorial regime in Panama, Lorena Parada-Valdes longed to live in a democratic country. In 1979, she had her chance. That year, she was one of just four Panamanian college students to receive a merit-based scholarship to study in the United States. After graduating from Bates… Read More

After Leaving Extreme Poverty in Mexico, Student Dreams of American Citizenship
Had she not come to America, Monica Alcaraz would have faced a life of extreme poverty in Guanajuato, Mexico. The youngest of 16 children, she often didn’t have enough to eat. So when her older sister married a U.S. citizen and moved to Texas in 1986, Alcaraz—then four years old… Read More

Indian Native Finds Success in America, Gives Back to Adoptive Home of Corpus Christi
Indian native Kamlesh Bhikha grew up in an entrepreneurial family. His grandfather was a sugarcane and cotton farmer and his father manufactured diamonds, selling the gems he’d fashioned from rough stones. Bhikha also aspired to be his own boss. “The harder you work, the more you reap,’” he says. “And… Read More

District Court Issues Favorable Nationwide Ruling on Behalf of Thousands of Asylum Seekers
A federal district court judge in Washington State ruled today that the federal government’s failure to notify asylum seekers that they must apply for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States violated their right to due process, and ordered the government to provide such notice. Read More

ICE Formalizes Inhumane Detention Policies for Pregnant Women
The practice of detaining pregnant women is inhumane and unsafe. Read More

New Data: Tennessee In-State Tuition Bill Would Raise Spending Power Statewide by $19 Million, Add $5.5 Million to State and Federal Tax Revenue
NASHVILLE, TN – As Senate Bill 2263 is considered by the Tennessee Senate Education Committee tomorrow, New American Economy (NAE) has released new research highlighting the economic benefits Tennessee would see if the state allows undocumented high school graduates to qualify for in-state tuition. The bill… Read More

The H-4 Visa Classification
Temporary workers—such as those in H-1B status—typically can bring their spouses and children with them to the United States in what is called H-4 status. This fact sheet provides an overview of the H-4 visa category. Read More

Immigrants in Dallas Held $5.4 Billion in Spending Power in 2016
DALLAS, TX – Immigrant households earned nearly $8 billion in 2016 and contributed $2.5 billion to local, state, and federal taxes in 2016, according to a new research brief released by New American Economy in partnership with the City of Dallas. The report will be published at… Read More

Texas Social Worker Sees Valuable Talent Stifled Without DACA
As a social worker, Bere Hernandez helps people in her community reach their full potential. As an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, she knows how many obstacles the foreign-born can encounter. “Immigrants are often seen as individuals who need to be rescued,” says Hernandez, who received her master’s degree in social… Read More
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