U.S. Immigrant Business Owners Supported by Chicago Officials

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Chicago officials have recently launched a new department called The Office of New Americans with an aim to help U.S. immigrant business owners, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced on December 6, 2011.

Following other cities and states, Chicago has now kicked off its municipal department focusing on immigrant entrepreneurs. The Office of New Americans is headed by former activist Adolfo Hernandez. He's from the Little Village neighborhood, one of the largest Mexican business communities in the U.S. The department coordinates training and workshops for immigrant entrepreneurs in hope of creating jobs in the U.S. and promoting Chicago as a global economic hub. In addition, The Office of New Americans will soon expand its concentration to other issues like English language and U.S. citizenship.

According to the Mayor, the opening of this department is considered a step toward making Chicago "the most immigrant-friendly city in the world". Similarly, Mr. Hernandez said it's a signal that the city wants immigrant business. He also indicated that Chicago's history is closely tied to the U.S. immigration story and it's important to recognize that "immigrants bring a lot".

Statistics revealed that immigrants were more than twice as likely to start businesses as non-immigrants in 2010, and the number of immigrant business owners in the U.S. keeps growing, according to a study by Robert Fairlie, a professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz who has researched the issue for the U.S. Small Business Administration.