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
Visionary Indian Entrepreneur Has Created Thousands of Jobs for Americans
Ragy Thomas, founder and CEO of the social media platform Sprinklr, believes that a welcoming, streamlined immigration policy is vital to the economic future of America. As a technology entrepreneur, investor, and visionary, who has founded four startups and created thousands of jobs, Thomas’ own story reveals how drawing global… Read More
Mexican-Born Immigrant Has a Ninth Grade Education—and a Highly Successful Restaurant in Waco
For Cesar Leal, life in the United States “is like having a big table full of food and you’re just allowed to eat until you’re full.” It’s fitting then, that Leal’s livelihood in Waco, Texas, revolves around food. Originally from Mexico and now a U.S. citizen, the entrepreneur opened Leal’s… Read More
Today’s NY Primary: How Immigrants are Contributing in the Empire State
After rigorous campaigning in the Empire State, the presidential hopefuls watch as New Yorkers head to the polls today to vote in the state’s primary election. Clinton, Sanders, and Trump certainly hope to reign victorious on their home turf, especially since New York has the potential to award a large… Read More
Backward Immigration Policies Force America To “Compete With Our Own University Graduates,” Says CEO
Ramiro Cavazos is a seventh-generation Texan, born to a family that originally moved to America from Spain in the late 1600s and settled in the Rio Grande Valley as ranchers and farmers. Cavezos takes great pride in his family’s heritage and their many contributions to Texas. But as the CEO… Read More
For One Young Woman, It Took Becoming a Crime Victim to Get a Green Card
Alina Luna had the grades and the drive to attend college right after high school, but she didn’t have a Social Security Number. As an undocumented immigrant who came to Atlanta from Mexico at the age of 12, she wasn’t allowed to apply for federal financial aid without it. Luna… Read More
Serial Entrepreneur and Ethiopian Refugee Reminds Everyone: Immigrants ‘Work Hard and Play by the Rules’
When Fasil Muche was in high school, he received a letter telling him he was about to be deported back to his native Ethiopia. It turned out the letter was a mistake, but the emotional upheaval shaped Muche’s views on undocumented immigrants. He wishes no one had to live with… Read More
From Political Asylee to Employer — Colombian Immigrant Believes ‘You Have To Do Things in the Right Way’
Diva Herazo knows the value of good medical care. Originally from Colombia, she and her family were in the United States, in the process of applying for political asylum, when her daughter became ill. “She was born with just one kidney, and she got an infection and needed surgery while… Read More
Contractor Sees Firsthand How Draconian Immigrant Laws Hurt Arizona’s Economy
In 2012, Luis de la Cruz was at a banquet in Washington, D.C., being held to recognize minority-owned businesses. But when guests learned that he was from Arizona, they walked away in disgust. The state’s recently enacted anti-immigration bill had poisoned his reputation. “The only thing that happens” when… Read More
H-1B Visa Cap Reached in Five Days for Fourth Consecutive Year
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7 that the H-1B cap for fiscal year 2017 was reached—meaning that in five business days, U.S. employers filed more petitions for an H-1B visa to hire a skilled foreign worker than the entire year’s allocation of visas available… Read More
Simply Soup Ltd. d/b/a NY Soup Exchange – BALCA
The Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA), the administrative body at the Department of Labor that reviews denials of PERM labor certifications, concluded that the Certifying Officer (CO) had the discretion, but not the obligation, to request missing documentation. BALCA failed to address arguments made by the Council and AILA in their amicus brief: that due process and fundamental fairness, as well as the PERM regulatory structure, require the CO to request supplemental documentation when the employer’s compliance with documentation requirements is evident from the record. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
