Business and the Workforce
Immigrants not only bring diverse skills and perspectives to the U.S. workforce, they often fill employment gaps in crucial fields. We advocate for expanded work visas and related programs so our labor force can continue to benefit from immigrant workers and remain competitive in the global economy
Chicago Business Leader, Grandson of Italian Immigrant, Advocates for Restaurant Workers Across Illinois
Sam Toia, a third-generation Italian-American, whose grandfather emigrated from Sicily in the 1920’s, is deeply embedded in Chicago’s culinary world. As President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA), he advocates on behalf of the industry and its workers. In the state of Illinois alone, there are more… Read More
Rwandan Refugee Expands Immigrant-Focused Newspaper into Buffalo-Based Non-Profit
Shortly after Rwandan refugee Rubens Mukunzi began publishing a newspaper about immigrant and refugee life, he got a visit from the Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash. “He was very excited to have the newspaper, Karibu News, as a voice for refugees and immigrants in Buffalo Public Schools,”… Read More
Argentinian Immigrant Credits Boston with Enabling Business Success
Jonathan Thon, an Argentine native, first came to the Boston area in 2008 to complete a Harvard Medical School postdoc, and stayed on to become an Assistant Professor there. He knew that platelets, the cells that promote clotting, had enormous commercial and medical potential, and so in 2014, Thon… Read More
New York State Assemblyman Reflects on Immigrant Legacy in New York City
When Ron Kim’s family immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1987, his parents chose to settle in New York City because they knew it had a strong immigrant community. Kim, who was seven years old at the time, explains that this community provided the family with… Read More
How Experts Are Addressing Immigrant Underemployment and Why it Matters
Many immigrants bring advanced expertise when they come to the United States, but those skills are often underutilized. Due to a range of complex factors, such as professional credentialing and licensing requirements, immigrants’ qualifications are often overlooked. Experts are making inroads to address this, recognizing that such… Read More
Steve Rao’s August 2018 Interview with NAE Executive Director Jeremy Robbins for “Leaders and Legends”
Listen to the interview below from Monday, August 20. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Leaders-and-Legends-Steve-Rao-Jeremy-Robbins-Interview.mp3… Read More
Houston Chronicle: Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]
“English! English! Go back to Mexico. You’re in America!” Not so long ago, that response, described in an ethnography by University of Texas professor Angela Valenzuela, is what Texas schoolchildren could expect for speaking Spanish in the hallways. Punishments and reprimands were common experience for students whose open use of… Read More
Missoulian: Report: Immigrants in the Missoula region generate over $26M in tax revenue each year
Although immigrants make up only 2.3 percent of the total population of Missoula and four surrounding counties, those 4,654 people contributed $219.9 million to the goods produced and services provided in the region, $19.3 million in federal taxes and $7 million in state and local taxes in 2016 alone. That… Read More
The Dallas Morning News: ‘How do we protect them?’ Dallas leaders look to help immigrants and the economy
We could mess up the so-called Texas miracle. Cutting off immigration, for instance, “would make it impossible” for the state to keep growing jobs at roughly double the national rate, Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius said last week. Keeping out immigrants would also take us out of the competition to attract top… Read More
Judge Rules USCIS Must Adjudicate Employment Authorization for Asylum Seekers Within 30-Days
A judge ordered last week that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must adjudicate work authorization applications for asylum seekers within the prescribed 30-day deadline. Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone