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.
DC Business Owner’s Immigrant Father Worked to Give Family a Better Life in America
Though Teri Galvez grew up in a working-class family in a rural farming community in Modesto, California, her immigrant father worked hard to create a stable family life. “I never grew up feeling less than or being embarrassed of our socioeconomic status,” says Galvez. “I never felt inferior like so… Read More
How a Former Undocumented Immigrant Started a $3 Million Business That Created 80 Jobs
Jorge Fierro was making himself a burrito after his dishwashing shift when he got the idea for the business that would eventually become Rico Brands, a $3 million food business and employer of 80. “I opened a can of refried beans,” Fierro says, “and I just couldn’t believe how bad… Read More
Restrictive Voting Laws Threaten to Block Millions of Latino Voters, Including Many Newly-Naturalized
Naturalization and voter registration rates have surged in recent months, but strict new voter laws in many states are threatening to reduce the number of Latinos voters (including many newly naturalized) who will be allowed to cast ballots. More than 185,000 citizenship applications were submitted in the final… Read More
What the New Citizenship Fee Structure Means for Aspiring Americans
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is primarily a fee-funded agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Every two years they are required to review the fees they collect and adjust as needed. Earlier this month USCIS announced they have completed their “fee study” and have proposed raising… Read More
Report on Immigrant Welfare Use is Fundamentally Flawed—Here’s Why
It’s déjà vu all over again at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS). Having released one flawed report on immigrant “welfare” use late last year, CIS has followed up with another that contains the same flaws. The biggest shortcoming of both reports is that they count the public… Read More
To Harvest His Crops, Georgia Farmer Needs U.S. To Improve Immigration Policy
Brent Bloser is a lifelong farmer who must hire 15 to 20 people every season to help him harvest his cotton, peanuts, cucumbers, and tomatoes. But it’s getting harder for him to employ the foreign workers he needs. Not only is the current U.S. guest worker program a bureaucratic hassle,… Read More
Mexican-American Student Sets Her Sights on Congress and a Humanitarian Immigration Policy
Jasmine Martinez is a second-generation Mexican-American who grew up acutely aware of what her family endured to give her a better life. Those sacrifices — and stories about the social injustice and discrimination her grandfather experienced after coming to the United States from Mexico in the 1940s — have inspired… Read More
Immigration Policy Is Preventing This New York Family From Fully Contributing to U.S. Economy
Rosibel Granada is proud of what her three sons—ages 19, 22, and 28—have been able to accomplish since they came to the United States 13 years ago from El Salvador. The eldest works in real estate; her middle child is a chef; and the youngest is in community college, studying… Read More
His Mother was Resilient, but Young Mexican-American Says it’s Citizenship That Ensures His Own Success
Jesus Arzola-Vega credits his mother’s intelligence and resilience with motivating him to earn a college degree and become a business policy fellow at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. His mother had arrived in Detroit from Mexico as an undocumented immigrant and, to provide for her three young children, slogged… Read More
Without Direct Path to Citizenship, Child Immigrant Struggles to Find Work
As a customer service supervisor for Delta Airlines, Carlos Garcia spends his day solving problems for airline passengers. They don’t know he spent most of his life living on the outskirts of American society as an undocumented immigrant. Garcia arrived in Atlanta with his parents at age 13, and as… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
