Industries
On an Arizona Ranch, A Push for Reform
In 1928, Selwyn Justice’s great-grandfather founded the 400-acre Justice Brothers Ranch in Waddell, a small town in Maricopa County, Arizona. Today, Justice, 28, is the fourth generation to manage the organic ranch’s 71-acre “five-season agriculture” business, which cultivates citrus fruits like grapefruits, navel oranges, and lemons, and bespoke fruit like… Read More
Chinese Immigrant Headed Straight Where U.S. Needs Her: Information Technology
Chinese immigrant Ping Ting has big dreams — but also a practical head on her shoulders. When she arrived in Brooklyn in 2016, she investigated the fields with the most employment opportunities and settled on information technology, ideally in the medical sector. It’s a smart move. To remain competitive in… Read More
‘Companies Appreciate Immigrants,’ Says Colombian Process Engineer
When new immigrant Diana Valenzuela gets her English up to speed, the United States will be lucky. Back in her native Colombia, she spent 10 years as a process engineer at a leather factory, supervising production and designing the leather finish for shoes, belts, and other products. Afterward, she spent… Read More
Without Migrant Labor, Shrimp Processor Forced to Cut U.S. Workers’ Hours
Richard Gollott first started having trouble finding American oyster shuckers in the 1970s. A third-generation oyster processor, Gollott had watched his father and grandfather easily hire young Americans, at least for a few seasons before they headed to college or another career. But by the 1960s, when Gollott assumed… Read More
Immigrants Welcomed to Community and Give Back to Community, Says Kentucky Faith Leader
The immigrant community in Henderson is small, but it is growing faster than any other group. The county’s Hispanic and Latino community, for example, increased by 0.5 percentage points between 2010 and 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau. That might not sound like a lot… Read More
National Nurse’s Day: The Role of Immigrant Nurses in America
The U.S. healthcare system is in demand. Our study showed that for every healthcare worker seeking a job, there are 4.4 jobs listed for the field, ranging from occupational therapists to surgeons. And while the healthcare industry’s job openings offer opportunities for workers, they raise concerns… Read More
Migrant Worker Shortage Threatens Jobs and a Louisiana Way of Life
It was late May, six weeks after Gary Bauer was scheduled to start processing blue crab at his Louisiana plant, and the 58-year-old seafood processor was scrambling to figure out how he was going to stay in business. It was a struggle with wide implications. The livelihood of both his… Read More
Farmer: Without Immigration Reform ‘Agriculture is Going to Head South’
On America’s farms, it’s common to see foreign-born laborers harvesting crops and working long hours in the fields. It’s less common to see the very same workers ending up in charge. But Joe Del Bosque’s family, who came to California’s Imperial Valley from Mexico a century ago, accomplished just that. Read More
Immigration Policy Ineffective for Economic Development, Says Iowa CEO
As CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, an economic development organization, Jay Byers is trying to make the region a premier destination for immigrant workers, particularly in job-growth industries like bioscience and advanced manufacturing. “Recruiting international talent, especially in high-skilled industries, is absolutely critical to fueling future economic growth,”… Read More
Family’s 136-Year-Old Landscaping Business Depends on Immigrants
Hispanic immigrants make up roughly half of the workforce at Peter Scarff’s family nursery and landscaping business in New Carlisle, Ohio. Without immigrant labor, the agriculture and service industries in the United States would collapse, Scarff says. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s manual work or operating equipment, it is difficult… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
