In this episode of Jersey Works, hosts Julie Winokur and Tim Raphael discuss the critical, but often overlooked impact of immigrant labor on the US economy. They focus on New Jersey as a role model, which punches well above its weight economically while boasting one of the highest foreign-born population.s in the country. From Alexander Hamilton and the origins of industrialization to today's anti-immigrant rhetoric, discover how immigration policies have shaped, and continue to influence, economic growth and social diversity.

Guests:

• Jeanne Batalova — Senior Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute; Manager, Migration Data Hub
• Patricia Campos-Medina — Labor Activist/Educator, Executive Director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, and 2024 Senate candidate
• Peter Chen — Senior Policy Analyst, NJ Policy Perspectives
• Ramya Devan — Associate Professor and Chair of Economics, Stockton University
• Angelica Santamauro — Executive Director, American Museum of Labor History (Botto House, Paterson)
• Andre Sayegh — Mayor of Paterson, NJ

Hosts:

• Julie Winokur — Founder/Executive Director of Talking Eyes Media; Co-founder/Director of Newest Americans
• Tim Raphael — Professor in the Department of Arts, Culture and Media, and former Director of the Center for Migration and the Global City at Rutgers-Newark University; Co-founder/Director of Newest Americans