Center for Immigration Studies

Indian Immigrant Makes Good on Dreams to Become Researcher
Saeed KhanRetired Professor, University of Florida – Department of Urology Growing up in his native India, Saeed Khan’s parents were adamant their eight children attend college. Khan was always impressed with textbooks—especially the references. “It became my dream to become a researcher so I could be cited at the… Read More

Honduran Community Organizer Advocates for Equals Rights for Immigrants
Yennifer MolinaCoordinator, Madres Sin Fronteras In Honduras, Yennifer Molina’s mother worked around the clock at the family restaurant to fund private school tuition for her daughters. “We wanted to go to regular school with our cousins and friends,” recalls Molina. “But my mom was thinking ahead. She insisted we learn… Read More

Indian Immigrant Supports Gainesville Community
Jyoti ParmarExecutive Director North Central Florida Indivisible At 11, Jyoti Parmar competed in an annual neighborhood race in her Indian town. The first-place prize: a shiny, red bicycle with tassels. But when Parmar won, she was told, “That’s the boys prize.” She argued with the judges but ultimately walked… Read More

The Reimplementation of MPP is Betrayal of President Biden’s Campaign Promises
The Biden administration announced today that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to revive and reimplement the Migrant Protection Protocols by mid-November. The Council believes that plans to restart the program is a betrayal of the president’s campaign promises and a sign that this administration is failing to reenvision border management and the way that we treat asylum seekers. Read More

Mexican Immigrant Opens Flooring Showroom in Reno
Miguel EstradaCo-owner, Best Hardwood Flooring Miguel Estrada’s personal story mirrors the rise of Reno. After coming here from Mexico City in 1993 at age 18, he started working as a cleaner in a factory that built airplane parts. Yet a supervisor recognized his industriousness and… Read More

Mexican Immigrant Starts Her Own Remediation Business in Reno
Teresa SidleOwner, All Eagle LLC When Teresa Sidle came to Reno from Mexico in 1984 as a shy teenager, she never could have imagined she’d be the owner of a company with 30 employees. Even more surprising: her company specializing in asbestos abatement and mold remediation is a… Read More

Kenyan Refugees Shares Story of Immigrating to Reno
Eugene Nduwimana Refugee Eugene Nduwiwana shares the story of his family’s emigration from Kenya to the United States: I learned that Reno would be my new home 30 days before my flight was scheduled to leave Nairobi, Kenya. In fact, I didn’t even know that I, my wife and two… Read More

Mexican DREAMer Finds Success Starting Catering Business in Reno
Gustavo VelascoOwner, GUsTO Catering & Meals See Gustavo highlighted in the Reno Gazette Journal Gustavo Velasco had just graduated from Reed High School when a family friend asked him what he wanted to study in college. As a recent immigrant who’d moved to Reno from Mexico with his… Read More

Filipino Immigrant Family Finds Success in San Mateo County
Althea Avice de Guzman Althea Avice de Guzman grew up in the Philippines with her father and siblings. Shortly after she was born, her mother left the Philippines and emigrated to carve out a slice of the American Dream. In Chicago, Althea’s mom worked odd jobs from gift-wrapping at the… Read More

Mexican Immigrant Becomes Special Ed Teacher in San Francisco
Edith Arias As a teen in the late 1980s, Edith Arias moved from México to San Francisco with her mother and two siblings. Her mother was fleeing domestic violence and economic insecurity; in San Francisco she had family to lean on. But the transition wasn’t easy. Arias struggled to learn… Read More
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