2013-02-18 12:03:49 -

/EINPresswire.com/ Event: Building a Multicultural Alliance for Immigration Reform & The Immigrant-Friendly City
Thursday, February 21, 2013
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Tomo Sushi & Hibachi Restaurant
1293 West 9th Street, Cleveland 44113

Reservations: immigrantfriendlycity.eventbrite.com/#

A multicultural group of over 120 leaders from the Mexican, African American, Chinese, Jewish,

Puerto Rican, Lebanese, Russian, Guatemalan, Nigerian, Romanian, Taiwanese, Palestinian, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Indian, Serbian, Filipino and many other communities (listed below) have joined together to co-host the following free event in Cleveland, February 21, 2013, to promote federal immigration reform and local “immigrant-friendly” cities:

Building a Multicultural Alliance for
Immigration Reform
&
The Immigrant-Friendly City
Thursday, February 21, 2013
4:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Tomo Sushi and Hibachi Restaurant & Lounge (Brand New!)
1293 West 9th Street, Cleveland 44113

To make reservations: immigrantfriendlycity.eventbrite.com/#

As the immigration reform movement gains momentum around the country, and as more cities look to immigrants as a key part to economic revitalization, leaders from Northeast Ohio’s business, minority, labor, non-profit and immigrant communities decided to come together to raise awareness on the opportunities to grow Greater Cleveland’s economy through immigration reform and welcoming new immigrants.

The networking will start at 4:30 pm, complimentary wine and appetizers will be provided. At 5:30 pm, a short program will begin, with several speakers who will touch on issues like "what is immigration reform?" "why does it matter to Greater Cleveland?" and "what can we do at the local level to create 'immigrant-friendly' cities?" At 6:00 pm, networking will resume and we will close out the evening at 6:30.

Event organizer, Richard Herman, a Cleveland immigration lawyer and co-author of the book, Immigrant, Inc., believes that changes in federal immigration policy can create an opportunity for cities in Northeast Ohio to grow their local economy:

“Restrictive immigration law and antiquated visa quotas have slowed the economic recovery in depopulating cities like Cleveland. The studies overwhelmingly demonstrate that immigration is not a zero-sum game. Immigrants --- entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, homeowners, consumers --- help create jobs for Americans. Forty percent of the Fortune 500 companies were founded by an immigrant or a child of an immigrant. Globally diverse and inclusive communities grow the pie and expand opportunity for all.”

Herman continued,

“What we don’t often discuss, when talking about immigration, is that immigrants are twice as likely to start a business or file a patent, in comparison to American-born. Twenty-Eight percent of all small businesses launched in 2011, from bodegas to high-tech startups, were founded by an immigrant. Immigrant-founded companies employ 1 out of 10 American workers. For every international student who stays in the U.S. after earning a graduate STEM degree from a U.S. university, 2.6 American jobs are created. And the economic benefits of immigration reform are not just on the high-skill side. Research demonstrates that legalization of 11 million undocumented immigrants will inject $1.5 trillion into the U.S. GDP over the next 10 years.”

Co-hosts of the February 21st event include leaders from Cleveland City Council, Ohio House of Representatives, and leaders from around the country, including Dr. Jan Vilcek (Founder of the Vilcek Foundation and 2012 recipient of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation), Lee Fisher of CEOs for Cities and former Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General of Ohio, Steve Tobocman of Global Detroit, Joy Roller of Global Cleveland, and David Lubell, a pioneer of the immigrant welcoming movement.
Together, this multicultural alliance intends to change the conversation on immigration in Northeast Ohio and beyond.

The event will be held at the newly-opened Tomo Sushi Hibachi Restaurant & Lounge in Cleveland’s Warehouse District. Tomo is the brainchild of Immigrant-American entrepreneurs Velimir Lucic, of Serbia, and Benny Yang, of China. For photos of this historic four story building recently renovated by Velimir and Benny, see www.tomohibachiandsushi.com.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Richard Herman is nationally-known immigration lawyer, immigration activist, and co-author of “Immigrant, Inc. -- Why Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Driving the New Economy (and How They Will Save the American Worker)." (Wiley, 2009). Herman travels the country as a speaker for the Partnership for a New American Economy, a national coalition founded by Michael Bloomberg & Rupert Murdoch and comprised of 450 CEOs and Mayors who believe in the economic benefits of smart immigration law reform and in welcoming immigrants.

Richard Herman, Cleveland Immigration Lawyer
Herman Legal Group, Cleveland Immigration Law Firm
(216) 696-6170
www.ClevelandImmigration-Lawyer.com

PR Courtesy of Online PR Media