Center for Immigration Studies

‘Moved by Unfairness of System,’ Executive Skips Retirement to Create Legal-Aid Program
After a 30-year career as a telecommunications executive, Ray Garrido had planned a quiet retirement. But while volunteering as an English tutor in Bremerton, Washington, for immigrants from Mexico and Central America, he heard stories of struggle and hardship that kept tugging at his heart. “I realized there was no… Read More

Still No Action Taken: Complaints Against Border Patrol Agents Continue to Go Unanswered
This report raises more concerns about misconduct throughout Border Patrol sectors and shows Customs and Border Patrol has made little progress in its efforts to improve accountability. Read More

Salon: Donald Trump could see a bump in approval ratings — but won’t like how to do it
President Trump has promised to increase U.S. economic growth — in fact, he’s banking on it. The budget he proposed to Congress in May assumes a 3 percent growth rate, and the White House website promises a return to 4 percent annual economic growth. Both predictions are far higher than the roughly 2 percent growth rate assumed by… Read More

Princeton Grad – And DACA Recipient – Works in Houston School System to Help Others Achieve Potential
Carlos Sotelo is a high-flyer: a newly minted Princeton graduate with an impressive resume that includes a semester at Oxford University. He’s also an undocumented immigrant, brought to the United States by his parents as a baby, and raised in near-poverty by his mother after his father passed away. Now… Read More

Pork Industry Could Face Shutdowns Without Immigrant Labor
U.S. pork producers add $39 billion annually to the nation’s economy and support 550,000 jobs. But maintaining this output is a struggle, says the industry, due to critical labor shortages. Without a viable workforce, “production costs will continue to increase, leading to higher food prices for consumers,”… Read More

Iranian Immigrant Builds Homes and Donates Millions in California’s Central Valley
In 1978, Darius Assemi emigrated from Iran to California, seeking an American education and better career opportunities. Today, the entrepreneur and CEO of Granville Homes, in California’s Central Valley, builds an average of 200 homes annually in the greater Fresno region and employs a staff of 80. Over the last… Read More

California Entrepreneur Has Immigrant Parents to Thank for His Civic Pride
During his college years, Heberto M. Sanchez knew fellow students who were forced to sleep in their cars. “They had nowhere else to go,” he says. “They were in college and couldn’t afford an apartment. Still, they wanted to succeed.” This struck a chord with Sanchez. His parents were paying… Read More

Bloomberg BNA: Need Employees for Unusual Hours? Seek Foreign-Born Workers
There are jobs in nearly every industry that require employees to work odd hours, and immigrants are increasingly more likely to fill these openings, research finds. Documented immigrants are willing to take these shifts and are an untapped pool to recruit for jobs that employers are likely having trouble filling… Read More

Lebanese Family Creates American Entrepreneurs
Lebanese-American entrepreneur Richard Kabbany was a business major at California State University, Fullerton when he came up with the concept for his first business. “At the time, there was a huge push for green, renewable energy, and I thought, Well, if there’s a push for it and it makes financial… Read More

Politics Professor: U.S. Universities — and Their Towns — Need Foreign Students
As a child, Leslie Caughell watched her father, who was born in Canada, navigate the “anxiety-inducing” U.S. immigration system. It’s something the family can laugh about now. But far more anxiety inducing today, says Caughell, a political science professor at Virginia Wesleyan University, is the prospect of U.S. universities losing… Read More
Make a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
