Immigration 101
Immigration in the United States is complex and ever-evolving. Start here to understand the fundamental aspects of immigration policy, its history, and its impact on both individuals and the country at large. Learn commonly used terms about immigration law and how the U.S. immigration system is designed. Explore layered topics like how and whether immigrants can become citizens, as well as what individual protections look like under the law.
Immigrants Revitalize an Historically Dangerous Neighborhood in Pennsylvania’s Capital
For two decades, Maria Alejandra Hernandez and her family have attended St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because it provides the only weekly mass in Spanish. The towering brick cathedral is situated in the historically dangerous Allison Hill, but as immigrants have steadily flocked to… Read More
Immigrants and Labor Unions are ‘Natural Allies,’ According to Cornell Union Leadership Institute Co-Director
Patricia Campos-Medina spoke barely a word of English when she arrived from El Salvador at the age of 14—but within four years, she had won a full scholarship to Cornell, where, after stints as the assistant national political director for the Service Employees International Union, director for the New Jersey State… Read More
Nashville Councilman Recounts His Immigrant Past and Shows Just How Much Determination Can Make a Difference
It was a fire in his house that finally convinced Fabian Bedne, now a Nashville councilman and part-owner of an architectural firm that generates up to a quarter of a million dollars in annual business, to become a U.S. citizen. Afterward, he says, “everyone in the community was so… Read More
People Underestimate How Much Immigrants Contribute, Says Advocate
For Sarai Portillo, executive director of the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ), immigration reform is not only pertinent to our nation’s economic prosperity, it’s also a matter of public safety. When the state’s undocumented population feels high anxiety and stress, and lives in a constant state of fear of… Read More
Send Mexicans Back? ‘That’s Going To Be Difficult on Them and Us,’ Says Texas Real Estate Developer
As the CEO/Principal of Villa Realty Group in The Woodlands, an upscale master-planned community in Houston, longtime Republican Roy Villarreal, Jr. makes his living developing commercial properties with partners — and most of those partners are Mexicans, to whom he has sold a number of million-dollar homes. “These guys enjoy… Read More
Lawful Status Allows Mexican Immigrant To Help His Neighbors Get the Healthcare They Need
Juan Carlos Diaz grew up in a crowded home in Goshen, Indiana, surrounded by friends and family, some with legal status, some without. It was a blue-collar upbringing. Virtually all the adults he knew worked in Indian’s robust RV manufacturing industry, where four of every five U.S.-made RVs are built… Read More
Immigration Policies ‘Work Against the Small Businesses,’ Says Head of Major South Carolina Restaurant Group
Steve Carb is the head of SERG Restaurant Group on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, which employs more than 800 hospitality workers annually. During the summer peak season, he manages to staff his 10 restaurants with help from locals and college students. But once school starts in the fall,… Read More
Idea that Immigrants Don’t Want To Pay Taxes ‘Couldn’t Be Further From the Truth,’ Lawyer Says
Debbie Rodriguez sees plenty of undocumented immigrants realize their own American dream — and create jobs for other Americans in the process. “We’re in a unique situation to know who the business owners are in our community and sometimes they don’t have permission to be here,” says Rodriguez,… Read More
Immigrants are ‘Backbone of Our Communities,’ Says U.S. Lawyer, ‘We Need Them’
Heather Moretzsohn’s life has always been about immigration. Her father was an immigration lawyer, and all of his children married people from other countries. Moretzsohn’s own husband is a biology professor from Brazil. She now lives in Corpus Christi, and as an immigration lawyer herself she understands that our communities… Read More
Founder of Aspiring Americans Wants to Help Other Undocumented Students Excel
It took Akash Patel 22 years to become a U.S. citizen. That’s how long it takes, he says, when you follow proper protocol—the current immigration system is that broken. “My parents, sister, and I came to the U.S. from London on visitor visas in 1993 and immediately applied for green… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
