20 stories for 20 years: Building bridges for immigrant entrepreneurs

When Jay-Mee Del Rosario first came to the United States as a 9-year-old immigrant from the Philippines, her journey to achieving the American Dream was met with extreme hardship. Unable to attend college due to her immigration status, she worked multiple jobs after high school. She eventually started her own business in California, International Metal Source, which distributes raw metals to the space, aerospace and defense industries. Even as she overcame the many obstacles that blocked her path to entrepreneurship, she encountered additional hardships.

“My business could not grow, unable to bid for government contracts since I was not an American citizen,” Jay-Mee said. “I felt this was unfair since my payroll included American citizens, not to mention I was paying full federal taxes.”

Fortunately, after persevering through a challenging two-year process, Del Rosario finally obtained U.S. citizenship. But her story sheds light on the systemic roadblocks many immigrants face today, regardless of their immigration status. With more than 823,000 undocumented small business owners contributing to our economy, and nearly 1 in 5 new enterprises being launched by all immigrants in 2023, it is clear that entrepreneurial immigrants and their employees are vital to our economic growth.

Despite the fact that immigrants represent roughly 18% of small business owners who create jobs and hire employees, federal and state policies continue to make it harder for immigrants to start and grow thriving small businesses. For example, some states restrict access to occupational licenses, preventing many immigrants from expanding careers or starting businesses in cosmetology, education, child care, construction and many more industries that are essential to our economic success.

Over the years, Small Business Majority has actively worked to address these challenges. Driven by our mission to empower diverse entrepreneurs and build a thriving, inclusive economy, we understand that fair immigration policies open the door to opportunities that help our small business community drive innovation and create quality jobs. In our approach, we advocate for immigration reform that establishes pathways to citizenship, reduces administrative burdens for those seeking to fully participate in the American economy and improves the work visa process, while opposing mass deportations that threaten the small business workforce.

An example of Small Business Majority’s work to create a level playing field for immigrant entrepreneurs focuses on our legislative advocacy in Colorado, where we championed the removal of barriers to occupational licenses for undocumented entrepreneurs. In 2006, the General Assembly in Colorado passed a law that targeted undocumented workers and prevented them from obtaining commercial or professional licenses that helped legitimize their businesses and showcase the expertise they acquired in their respective fields. We worked in coalition with the Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition, Colorado Children’s Campaign, Raise Colorado, Colorado Center on Law & Policy, and others to mobilize immigrant small business owners to tell their stories and meet with legislators to successfully repeal this law, opening the door for undocumented immigrants in Colorado to obtain the professional licenses they need to legally operate their businesses, expand their services and compete on equal footing with other entrepreneurs.

Our success in Colorado is part of our broader national effort to eliminate systemic barriers for immigrant entrepreneurs. Across the country, we've advanced legislation that supports immigrants in their entrepreneurial journeys and helps the small business community retain an effective workforce. In California, we worked to protect patient privacy by including immigration status under the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, which was created to ensure immigrants can access healthcare without fear of immigration enforcement. Additionally, we supported legislation that sought to remove immigration status as a barrier to accessing healthcare coverage, recognizing that employers need healthy employees to sustain and grow their businesses. Similarly in Colorado, we advocated to increase funding for the Health Insurance Affordability Enterprise, which helps expand healthcare coverage to approximately 9,000 undocumented Coloradans, including undocumented entrepreneurs who need affordable healthcare to focus on starting and growing their small businesses.

Small business owners across the country recognize how these issues negatively impact our economy and are overwhelmingly in favor of shifting our nation's policies toward a more inclusive path. Small Business Majority’s quarterly Voice of Main Street opinion poll series, which examines the challenges that entrepreneurs in our network are facing, found earlier this year that three-quarters of small business owners said we would be better off allowing undocumented workers to become legal taxpayers, pay their fair share and move toward citizenship. We also found that policies leading to unprecedented immigration raids and mass deportations have raised deep concerns among entrepreneurs, with 37% worried about the negative impact on their own businesses or suppliers, and 69% concerned about the broader U.S. economy.

These efforts, alongside our national advocacy work, aim to create fairness and equal opportunities for immigrants seeking to build businesses in the United States. And at a time of shifting federal immigration policies that include unprecedented crackdowns on undocumented immigrants residing in the United States, Small Business Majority is working harder than ever to champion immigrant entrepreneurs like Jay-Mee Del Rosario, working alongside our partners and calling on lawmakers to create pathways that allow undocumented and documented immigrant entrepreneurs to both contribute to and share in America’s economic prosperity.