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
New Rule Improves Learning Experience for International Students With STEM Degrees
This month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule which will allow international students in certain science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields to maximize their educational experience in the United States. The rule accomplishes this by preserving an extension of the period of time during… Read More
Dayton Business Leader and Veteran Has Seen Hispanic Immigrants Fuel Real Economic Growth in Ohio
Rafi Rodriguez, CEO of Rodriguez Financial Strategies and former president of the Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, has a unique understanding of the loyalty that many South American immigrants feel toward their adopted country. Though an American citizen—he was born in Puerto Rico—Rodriguez’s Hispanic roots have given him great cultural… Read More
Taiwanese Immigrant Brings Asian Festival and Scores of Steady Jobs to Rocky Mountain Region
The morning of the very first Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in 2001, Ding-Wen Hsu was worried no one would show. Hsu had accomplished a lot since immigrating to the United States from Taiwan, including founding a successful company that makes roughly $10 million annually and employs 75 people. Read More
This Entrepreneur says Diversity Provides America with a Unique Economic Advantage
The American melting pot sets this country apart from almost every other nation, says Jie “Jay” Zheng, a Chinese-American chemist and restaurant owner in Denver. “That is something that’s unique to us that China and other countries cannot do,” Zheng says. But, he adds, to make the most of our… Read More
When Undocumented Immigrants Are Targeted, American Consumers Lose, Says Chamber Executive
Francisco Treviño, President and CEO of the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, remembers what happened in 2007 when the Oklahoma state legislature passed one of the country’s most punitive immigration laws. Called the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act, the law went so far as to target U.S. citizens,… Read More
Child of Mexican Restaurant Owners Helps Build Houston’s Next Generation of Business Leaders
In 2007, when Laura Murillo became president and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the organization had just two employees and was in financial peril, about to lose its lease. Under her guidance, it is now the largest Hispanic chamber of commerce in the country, with 4,200 members,… Read More
Texas Immigration Attorney Sees Firsthand How Immigration Policy Stifles North Texas Economy
Ann Massey Badmus has spent over 22 years working in immigration law. Her greatest takeaway from over two decades of experience? The national conversation surrounding immigration does not represent what she sees every single day. “We keep hearing more and more rhetoric that immigration is bad,” Badmus says. “Why are… Read More
Successful Tech CEO Wants to Hire American Workers, but U.S. Immigration Won’t Let Him Stay in the Country
Peteris Krumins has been fascinated by computers for as long as he can remember. “As a child, I would spend literally all my time tinkering with hardware and software,” he says. By the time he was 15, he’d already been hired as a professional computer programmer in his native Latvia. Read More
Immigration Policy Nearly Drives Entrepreneur’s $20 Million Company From America
Brian Wong is redefining mobile advertising. The Canadian co-founder and CEO of Kiip — a company that offers rewards to players who reach new levels on mobile games or apps — has raised more than $20 million in venture capital and counts Coke, Kellogg’s, and Unilever among his customers. And… Read More
Bank CEO’s Immigration Story Has Shaped His Success Here in America
Suku Radia, CEO of Bankers Trust,has made diversity and inclusion integral to the ethos of the company he leads. Nineteen percent of his workforce is non-white, and his team speaks roughly 30 different languages. They are also highly enterprising and have grown Bankers Trust into Iowa’s largest bank. Radia literally… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.