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
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
Hartford Business (CT): Visa delay adds uncertainty for CT immigrant- entrepreneurs
Getting a work visa in the United States can be difficult, and the federal government this month put up another roadblock for hopeful immigrants. The so-called International Entrepreneurs program, created under an executive order from former President Barack Obama, is now postponed until next March. An estimated 3,000 immigrant-entrepreneurs —… 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
Judge Certifies Nationwide Class in Employment Authorization Case
U.S. District Court Judge James Robert granted a motion to certify a nationwide class in Northwest Immigrant Rights Project v. USCIS, recognizing that USCIS must adjudicate asylum seekers’ employment authorization applications within 30 days if they are submitted in a timely manner. Read More
Republican Senator: My State’s Economy Needs Immigration Reform
Before becoming a United States senator in 2015, Thom Tillis led North Carolina’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives during a time when the state unemployment rate dropped after the Great Recession, from 10.4 percent, in 2010, to 4.5 percent, in 2017. Now, however, the state is facing a… Read More
International Entrepreneur Rule: What Might It Mean for U.S. Workers?
As last year’s election proved, one of the leading concerns for many Americans is the country’s rate of job creation. Although the economy has experienced slow but steady growth in the last several years—and now is near full employment—more than one in five adults in the prime of… Read More
CNBC: Tensions rising in Silicon Valley over Trump’s immigration crackdown
Tension over immigration reform is rising in Silicon Valley. The Supreme Court agreed Monday to let President Donald Trump’s immigration travel ban go into effect for some travelers, reversing the actions of lower federal courts that put the controversial policy on hold. The court agreed to hear the case involving travelers from… Read More
Meet the New Jersey Entrepreneur Helping 90,000 Children Eat Healthier
Jimena Florez started her first business at the age of 8, selling flavored Jell-O powders in straws to her Bogotá classmates. Now she’s the founder of Chaak Healthy Snacks, a socially conscious business that brings nutritional snacks to public school children in Colombia and the United States. Florez employs about… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
