Dear Immigrant: I Went Back for a Year

Dear Immigrant,

I went back. Not to stay — to wait. My wife needed the CR-1 visa, and the process required one of us to be in Kenya while it moved through the system.

I landed in Nairobi on April 15, 2025. I had been in America for fifteen years. Fourteen of those years I called myself a Kenyan immigrant in America. This year I was something else — an American in Kenya, or something in between.

What I want to tell you is this: the country you came from is not static. It moved while you were away. Kenya's Gen Z has built a political consciousness in the last two years that I did not leave with. The infrastructure of Nairobi is different — there are expressways now, better connections, more high-rises in what were once open lots.

But the cost of living increased faster than any of the infrastructure. The debt crisis that the Finance Bill was trying to address is real. The youth who marched against it were right that the solution being proposed would hurt them. They were also right that the institution was not listening.

You will go back someday. The country you went back to will not be the one you left.

Gabriel

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Gabriel Mahia writes from the intersection of U.S. federal infrastructure and East African operational reality. This essay is part of a series written after twelve months in Kenya, April 2025 – April 2026.

Dear Immigrant: I Went Back for a Year

Dear Immigrant,

I went back. Not to stay — to wait. My wife needed the CR-1 visa, and the process required one of us to be in Kenya while it moved through the system.

I landed in Nairobi on April 15, 2025. I had been in America for fifteen years. Fourteen of those years I called myself a Kenyan immigrant in America. This year I was something else — an American in Kenya, or something in between.

What I want to tell you is this: the country you came from is not static. It moved while you were away. Kenya's Gen Z has built a political consciousness in the last two years that I did not leave with. The infrastructure of Nairobi is different — there are expressways now, better connections, more high-rises in what were once open lots.

But the cost of living increased faster than any of the infrastructure. The debt crisis that the Finance Bill was trying to address is real. The youth who marched against it were right that the solution being proposed would hurt them. They were also right that the institution was not listening.

You will go back someday. The country you went back to will not be the one you left.

Gabriel

---

Gabriel Mahia writes from the intersection of U.S. institutional infrastructure and East African operational reality. This essay is part of the Year in Kenya series — twelve months, April 2025 to April 2026.

Data: Eligible Immigrant Voters Play a Key Role in Elections in Hundreds of Swing Districts

Analysis of 284 congressional districts highlights immigrants’ role in shaping close races 

April 16, Washington DC — A new analysis from the American Immigration Council finds that millions of immigrant voters who are U.S. citizens are a central part of the electorate across 284 congressional districts where elections will take place this year. 

The analysis on voting data reflects eligible and registered voters only. Under federal law, only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections. 

Drawing on the latest available data from the 2024 American Community Survey, the analysis shows that immigrants account for nearly one in five residents across the districts studied. They play a significant role in the workforce, tax base, and local economies that shape voters’ priorities. 

Key findings include:  

• U.S. citizens who are immigrants are poised to play a key role in close elections. There are an estimated 16 million registered immigrant voters (that is, naturalized U.S. citizens eligible and registered to vote) across the districts analyzed. In 44 percent of these districts (126 of 284), the number of eligible immigrant voters exceeds the margin of victory in the 2024 elections. 

• For example, in Florida’s 25th congressional district there are an estimated 135,500 immigrant voters. The district flipped from GOP to Democratic control in 2022 and the Democrats won again in 2024 by a narrow margin of victory of 30,700 votes. 

• In New Jersey’s 9th district, Democrats won by just over 12,600 votes in 2024. There are nearly 165,000 immigrants there who are U.S. citizens age 18 and above and thus eligible to vote.   

• Language and outreach matter. On average, 83.1 percent of immigrants speak a language other than English at home, highlighting the importance of outreach that reflects the diversity of communities in these districts. 

• Immigrants are a major part of local communities. On average, immigrants make up nearly 20 percent of residents across the 284 districts analyzed, and in some districts, they represent more than half of the population. 

“Immigrant voters who are U.S. citizens are a meaningful part of the electorate in many communities, especially in close races,” said Nan Wu, director of research at the American Immigration Council. “Like other voters, they care about jobs, housing, and the economy, and they are deeply embedded in the communities they help sustain.” 

The analysis also underscores that immigrants’ influence extends beyond elections. Across the districts studied, immigrants help drive economic growth, support key industries, and shape the issues that dominate elections, from inflation and housing to workforce shortages. 

Taken together, the findings show that immigrants are not a niche population, but a core part of the communities, economies, and electorate that define many congressional districts.

The post Data: Eligible Immigrant Voters Play a Key Role in Elections in Hundreds of Swing Districts appeared first on American Immigration Council.

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New Report: Immigrants Power Ohio’s Workforce and Pay Billions in Taxes

Immigrants in Ohio earned $27.3 billion in income and paid $7.3 billion in local, state, and federal taxes in 2023

Ohio, April 9, 2026 – New research from the American Immigration Council underscores the crucial role that immigrants play in Ohio’s economy, filling jobs in critical industries, strengthening the workforce, and contributing billions in taxes each year. The new report was prepared in partnership with Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions — a statewide business coalition powered by the American Immigration Council with over 100 members.  

“Immigrants are essential to Ohio’s future, powering the state’s workforce, strengthening critical industries, and paying billions in taxes that communities depend on every day,” said Rich André, Director of State and Local Initiatives at the American Immigration Council.  

“Ohio’s workforce shortages are placing real strain on businesses across the state, and as this new report highlights, immigrants play a vital role in driving economic growth and sustaining Ohio’s future,” said Jaclyn Ringstmeier, Executive Director of the Greater Medina Chamber of Commerce. 

Key findings: 

• Immigrants are helping fill Ohio’s workplace shortages and will help meet future needs. From 2019 to 2024, the number of overall online job postings increased by 8.2 percent. In 2023, 75.5 percent of immigrants were active in the labor force. That same year, immigrants were 29.4 percent more likely to be of working age than their U.S.-born counterparts – demonstrating that immigrants are already meeting a growing demand for workers and are poised to continue to be active contributors to the workforce. 

• Immigrants in Ohio contributed billions in taxes and consumer spending. In 2023, immigrants earned $27.3 billion in income and paid $7.3 billion in taxes, leaving $20 billion in spending power that supports local businesses and communities. That spending by immigrant households helps fuel growth and keeps local economic corridors vibrant. 

• Immigrants are uniquely positioned to meet critical multilingual needs in the workforce. From 2019 to 2024, the number of online job postings that required or prioritized bilingual skills in Ohio increased by 39.2 percent. Immigrants often have multilingual skills, enabling them to fill those positions. 

• Ohio is underutilizing its immigrant talent. Many immigrants with specialized training and skills gained abroad are unable to work in their fields, due to barriers like relicensing and language proficiency. As a result, in 2023, 43.7 percent of immigrants with a college education were working in jobs that did not require a college degree. 

Read the full factsheet to learn more about how immigrants are supporting Ohio’s workforce, tax base, and economic growth. 

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About the American Immigration Council 

The American Immigration Council works to create a more welcoming and fair immigration system. Through litigation, research, and programs that expand access to legal assistance, the Council helps ensure immigrants are embraced, communities are enriched, and justice prevails for all. Follow us on BlueSky @immcouncil.org and Instagram @immcouncil.    

About Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions 

Ohio Business for Immigration Solutions (OBIS) is a coalition of more than 100 Ohio businesses, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and economic development groups that believe modernizing our immigration system is critically important for the growth of the state’s economy. With its launch on December 10, 2020, the coalition released the Ohio Compact on Immigration, a set of principles developed to elevate the Ohio business community’s desire to promote immigration reforms that will strengthen the economy, attract and retain global talent, and bring new businesses to the Buckeye state. OBIS supports sensible public policy solutions that rise above partisanship and rhetoric and meet the challenges of the current immigration system while recognizing the valuable contributions immigrants make to the state.   

The post New Report: Immigrants Power Ohio’s Workforce and Pay Billions in Taxes appeared first on American Immigration Council.

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Start Here — All 28 Letters in Order

dearimmigrant.com

Twenty-Eight Letters to the Immigrant

From someone who crossed to someone who is about to. The paperwork, the first winter, the money that surprises you, what homesickness actually is, what the country owes you, and what you owe the people back home.

READ IN ORDER — 28 LETTERS

01	Before You Pack
02	The Paperwork Is the First Test
03	What the Visa Does Not Give You
04	The First Winter
05	Money Will Surprise You (not yet published)
06	Call Home, But Know What Calling Costs (not yet published)
07	The Job Is Not the Life (not yet published)
08	Nobody Is Coming to Help You (not yet published)
09	Build Your Own People (not yet published)
10	What Homesickness Actually Is (not yet published)
11	The Language Inside the Language (not yet published)
12	Do Not Perform Success (not yet published)
13	The Body Keeps Score (not yet published)
14	What You Owe the People Back Home (not yet published)
15	The System Is Not Your Enemy (not yet published)
16	Your Degree Is a Starting Point (not yet published)
17	Silence Can Be Intelligent (not yet published)
18	Find One Thing That Is Only Yours (not yet published)
19	The Five-Year Mark (not yet published)
20	When You Think About Going Back (not yet published)
21	What Integration Actually Means (not yet published)
22	The Second Generation (not yet published)
23	You Will Change Whether You Want To or Not (not yet published)
24	The Friends You Make Abroad (not yet published)
25	What the Country Owes You (not yet published)
26	Build Something That Lasts (not yet published)
27	The Letter You Will Write Someday (not yet published)
28	Dear Immigrant (not yet published)

dearimmigrant.com