In the News
Super Bowl Super Grub
5 Super Snacks Created by Immigrants What do beer, cheese, tortilla chips, hot dogs, and Italian sandwiches all have in common? Aside from the fact that millions of Americans will be enjoying these snacks on Sunday night while huddled around the TV, immigrants invented these tasty favorites. So while you’re… Read More
Ag sector woes
So how was the dinner salad last night? Fresh, green lettuce? Maybe crunchy miniature carrots? Piquant cherry tomatoes? Our impertinent questions come to mind in the wake of a visit to the Chronicle editorial board last week by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The former Iowa governor reminded us that of the… Read More
Diversity extends to business as immigrants open up shop
“People complain about this country, but there are so many (business) opportunities here you don’t even have time to get to them all.” So says Jose Brito, a native of the Dominican Republic who came to the United States 20 years ago. The 40-year-old is the founder and CEO of… Read More
Bipartisan I-Squared Act Introduced to Reform Business Immigration System
On January 13, 2015, Senators Hatch (R-Utah), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Rubio (R-Fla.), Coons (D-Del.), Flake (R-Ariz.), and Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced the Immigration Innovation (“I-Squared”) Act of 2015, a major immigration reform bill addressing the high-skilled and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) immigration programs. Similar to… Read More
Obama, Immigration and Silicon Valley
The U.S. technology industry might finally get the immigration reform that it wants. Bipartisan Senate groups introduced two tech-focused bills this month. The Immigration Innovation Act – which increases the cap on H-1B Visas from 65,000 to 115,000, eliminates per-country limits on visa petitioners and lets spouses of H-1B visa… Read More
Immigration Reform Needed to Boost Small Business Workforce
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation recently that seeks to revoke the president’s recent executive actions on immigration reform, which is disappointing news for small employers looking for qualified workers. We know from our polling that having access to a qualified workforce is of paramount importance to entrepreneurs looking… Read More
Statement on Senators Jerry Moran and Mark Warner’s Startup Act to Encourage Business Creation and Growth
CONTACT Ryan Williams, New American Economy, rwilliams@fp1strategies.com Following the re-introduction of Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Mark Warner’s (D-VA) bill to attract and retain more foreign-born entrepreneurs and STEM graduates, New American Economy Chairman John Feinblatt issued the following statement: “Immigrant entrepreneurs are critical to the growth… Read More
Summit County, Breckenridge ski tourism might benefit from smarter visa laws
For international tourists, a weeklong ski vacation to Breckenridge begins months or even years before they set skis to snow. Take a family from Brazil: Before booking a room on Ski Hill Road, everyone in the family must first be approved for a nonimmigrant visa, commonly… Read More
Immigrant Founders Need Policy Reform To Keep Creating Tech Jobs
President Obama took executive action last November to further ease policies around skilled tech labor. However, our laws haven’t done much to help the foreign startup founders who create quite a few tech jobs here. A 2008 Kaufman Foundation study concluded that between 1995 and 2005, more than half of all Silicon Valley tech companies were… Read More
At last, sensible immigration reform may have a chance in Washington
Immigration reform has stalled because of ugly Republican politics and an insistence by the Democrats that it be all or nothing. This has taken a toll on the country’s economic growth and global competitiveness. Witness the rise of Chinese companies such as Alibaba and Xiaomi — which now have their… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
