Immigrants Are Driving Entrepreneurship in America

In a hurry to the San Francisco International Airport in October, my parents and I stopped by a well-known Mexican-American chain restaurant. Tasty and quick, but of course it doesn’t compare to home cooking. We stop in, and my mom and I order our usual. My dad then orders his usual, tacos al carbon. The cashier asks him to repeat his order twice; mind you, it’s in Spanish (on the menu), he’s ordering in Spanish, and it’s a Mexican-American chain restaurant. The third time she asks and rolls her eyes, I could see him become discouraged and cave in with insecurity. I, unashamedly, repeat his order in Spanish in a more serious tone.

For a second, I imagine what it would have been like if my mom had opened a restaurant of her own, which she’s mentioned on occasion. They wouldn’t have to put up with bullshit like this—which, honestly, is nothing compared to what they’ve experienced in their time in the U.S. since they migrated from Mexico in the early 80s.

Both of my parents, and the parents of friends of mine who are also immigrants, have shared stories of being discriminated against-far more severe than being talked down to or scolded, including harassment. I’m not surprised why immigrants drive entrepreneurship in America. According to Vox “immigrants responded to a weak job market by turning to self-employment.” Instead of being discriminated against, at work and in one’s own neighborhood, immigrants have taken it upon themselves to provide a healthy lifestyle for themselves and their family.

According to a report by the Kauffman Foundation, between 1996 to 2014, entrepreneurship among native-born Americans decreased by 15.2%, while entrepreneurship among immigrants increased by that same 15.2%. (It’s also interesting to note that entrepreneurship among Latinos, both native-born and immigrants, has increased by 12.1%. I’ll be sure to share that stat with my mom.)

“The typical immigrant entrepreneur is engaged in something more humble — more likely a taqueria or a dry-cleaning shop than the next Google. For hardworking, ambitious immigrants who may lack the language skills or formal educational credentials to secure good jobs in traditional workplace settings, starting a small business can be the best path to get ahead,” Vox states. “Immigrants now account for 28.5 percent of all entrepreneurs in the United States — way up from 13.3 percent in 1996.”

Of course, harassment has increased post-election. Immigrant and U.S. citizen, Tenzin Dorjee, born in Bhutan, has lived in upstate New York for nine years and owns a restaurant and arts festival. Since President-elect Donald Trump has been elected, Dorjee has faced racist slurs and vandalism to his car, according to NPR. A window into the racism and harassment occurring post-election can be seen through a Twitter Moment. Insanul Ahmed, senior editor at Genius, collected tweets showcasing racist incidents that occurred across the country not even 24 hours after Donald Trump was elected.

Here’s to hoping that the numbers continue to increase in favor of our most resilient, even in the face of an increase in administrative citizenship fees.