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
Haitian Immigrant Poised to Fill Critical Need for Computer Science Professionals
Ever since Sheila Laurore immigrated to the United States from Haiti in 2015, she has been working hard toward her goal: A degree and a job in computer science. “I like that in the United States you have the opportunity to get a better life. You can go to school,… Read More
After Rising From Tragedy, an Ethiopian Entrepreneur Feeds the Economy — and Her Community
In 1995, Menbere “Menbe” Aklilu came to the United States with her 11-year-old son, moved to Oakland, California, and became a hostess at the Richmond Italian restaurant Salute e Vita. It may not sound like an auspicious beginning. But by age 10 in Gojjam, Ethiopia, Aklilu had witnessed her… Read More
Chicago Writer Examines Her — and Her Country’s — Refugee Experience
Writer Megy Karydes says people are surprised when she tells them she was a refugee. “I look American,” she says. “It’s not as if we wear a T-shirt announcing it.” Although Karydes was born in the United States, her parents, who were Greek citizens, had returned to their home… Read More
Hi-Tech Innovator Wants to Expand Into U.S. — Immigration Policy Makes That Difficult
After suffering long-term shoulder pain, serial entrepreneur Mark Yu started a company — U-Gym Technology — to solve the problem of chronic pain. The Taiwanese-American founder, who was born in Honolulu but raised in Taiwan, developed an app-controlled device that make the muscles contract and release using transcutaneous electrical nerve… Read More
Missourian: For high-skilled immigrants, policy shifts complicate path to entrepreneurship
Sitting in his company’s 6,000-square-foot facility in an industrial part of northeast Columbia, Hao Li, the chief executive officer of Nanova Biomaterials, recounted his journey to becoming an entrepreneur. Li, who grew up in China, said he always knew he wanted to start a business and make products to help… Read More
‘Companies Appreciate Immigrants,’ Says Colombian Process Engineer
When new immigrant Diana Valenzuela gets her English up to speed, the United States will be lucky. Back in her native Colombia, she spent 10 years as a process engineer at a leather factory, supervising production and designing the leather finish for shoes, belts, and other products. Afterward, she spent… Read More
In America, Rwandan Refugee Gains a Voice and Creates Jobs
From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Rubens Mukunzi runs a Buffalo-based newspaper, where he writes, edits, and meets with advertisers. After a one-hour break for dinner, the Rwandan refugee starts his shift at a cleaning company, where he works until midnight. The hours are long, but Mukunzi… Read More
Training for U.S.-Educated Noncitizens Withstands Another Restrictionist Attack
Some foreign students complete their stay in the United States by gaining professional experience in their field of study. Immigration restrictionists want to end that opportunity. For the second time, a court has ruled against a group that has repeatedly tried to stop foreign students in F-1 status from… Read More
Giving up ‘Not an Option’ For Child Farmworker Turned Entrepreneur
As the daughter of Mexican immigrants who came to America in 1963, Frances Prado started picking onions in the California fields alongside her parents and six siblings at age 6. At one point, her family was homeless. She remembers sleeping in the trunk of a car. Today, nearly five decades… Read More
Washington Post: Region’s demand for bilingual workers is booming. Should D.C. schools offer more dual-language programs?
Advocates for bilingual education and District leaders argued Thursday that the Washington region’s workforce has a growing demand for bilingual speakers that could be filled by D.C. public school graduates if the school system boosted its dual-language education programs. The panel discussion featured D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson, school… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
