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At a time where immigration steals the headlines almost every day, Professor Leah Ndimurwimo focuses her research on migration and refugee studies. She is a recognized expert on international human rights and, in particular, South African and international law. Professor Ndimurwimo works at Nelson Mandela University, but is currently a Fulbright research scholar at the University of Arizona.

She is an author and co-author of peer-reviewed publications on violations of human rights in Africa. Leah joins me to talk about her research, her background and the current state of migration in our world.

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Parastoo Zahedi knows what it is like to immigrate to the United States. Her own experiences in coming here from Iran has been a key reason why she became an immigration attorney: she wanted to help other attain the American dream and she has done so in many different ways. Since graduating from Georgetown Law School in 1988, Parastoo has become a recognized expert in immigration law and her law practice represents clients in a wide spectrum of matters including: Adjustment of status (green card processing) and naturalization, asylum and refugee status, detention and bond, cancellation of removal, waivers of inadmissibility, immigration consequences of criminal convictions, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions, and federal court litigation. She has also handled business immigration matters in the context of obtaining both nonimmigrant visas(L1A/L1B, H1B/H3, H2B, O, P, E) as well as immigrant petitions for all employment categories including the Extraordinary Ability category.

Parastoo has served as a leader in the American Immigration Lawyers Association community in different capacities and has been awarded for her pro bono work. She has also published numerous articles on a variety of immigration issues and spoken on them as well.

In this episode, Parastoo discusses her path to the U.S. and her journey into immigration law and how she manages this practice in the environment we live in today.

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Anatoly "Tola" Molotkov is a writer, composer, filmmaker and visual artist, and a co-founder of the Inflectionist poetry movement. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and immigrated to the U.S. in 1990 while writing predominantly in Russian at that time. He gradually learned to read and write in English while reading books like J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye." A few years after arriving in the U.S., Tola transitioned to writing completely in English and he is now the author of several novels, short story and poetry collections. He is the winner of the 2008 E. M. Koeppel Short Fiction Award for his story "Round Trip", which was nominated for a Pushcart. In this episode of Immigration Ain't Easy, we discuss Tola's journey to the U.S., the process by which he immigrated and his path to becoming a published writer.

Tola's other fiction and poetry has appeared in over twenty publications, both in print and online. His most recent novel, A Bag Full of Stones, is a literary crime story that examines the targeting of immigrants via right-wing violence in 2019 America. The book will be published on May 29, 2025, and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/Bag-Full-Stones-Molotkov-ebook/dp/B0DQSLPF78

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Babak Akhlaghi has waited well over a decade to finally see his brother, Kaveh, arrive in the United States. The wait has been excruciating, unnecessary and a prime example of how the U.S. immigration system fails the best and brightest. Kaveh Akhlaghi is a renowned architect based in Iran who has seen his ability to get a work visa inexplicably delayed year-after-year and resulted in repeated federal litigation. Babak, who works in Washington DC as a patent attorney, has not lost hope that Kaveh will someday receive his O-1 extraordinary ability visa.

Assisting Kaveh throughout this frustrating process is Amy Maldonado, a nationally recognized immigration attorney. Along with providing details about Kaveh's case, Amy speaks to me about her own career and how she inadvertently became one of the top sports immigration attorneys in our field representing numerous major league baseball franchises and their players. While Kaveh's case still remains incomplete, and the current administration makes the future even more murky, both Amy and Babak hold out hope that he will someday arrive on these shores.

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Rodrigo López grew up in Mexico during an era when Fernandomania spread across the country. López was one of a generation of Mexican children who emulated the late Fernando Valenzuela, an all-time great pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Inspired by Valenzuela's success and fame, Rodrigo became a pitcher and eventually made his way to the United States where he worked hard to make the major leagues in 2000. He went on to pitch in the majors for six different teams over 12 years. In his rookie season, he was the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year.

After retiring from baseball, Rodrigo was hired as the color commentator for the Arizona Diamondbacks' Spanish language radio broadcasts. He has held that position for a over ten seasons. He joins me in this episode to talk about his inspiration, Fernando Valenzuela, who also became a known color commentator for the Dodgers. He also speaks about his journey to the United States and some of the challenges his family faced coming to watch him pitch.

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Originally hailing from Senegal, Aly Wane came to the United States with a diplomatic visa at the tender age of 9-years-old. His mother hoped that the United States would provide him with an excellent education and future opportunities. Eventually on a student visa, Aly received two educations:

1) An education through academia and

2) An education on how difficult, rigid and cruel the U.S. immigration system is.

After following all the rules, he found himself in a terrible predicament after his mother tragically died overseas: without lawful status and trapped in a country that he considered his "home". He could not even go abroad to pay his respects to his mother. Had he left, he would likely never be able to return to the U.S. He chose to remain in the U.S., his adopted homeland.

While many would remain disillusioned by this situation and go underground, Aly regrouped and found a new purpose. Living in Syracuse, New York, he came out publicly in 2012 as undocumented and became a community and human rights organizer. Aly has focused his advocacy on antiwar, economic justice, racial and immigrant justice. He has become an active voice for peace and humanity. His organizing has been connected with numerous organizations including the American Friends Service Committee, the Workers' Center of Central NY, Syracuse Peace Council, the Black Immigration Network, the UndocuBlack Network and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. He has also served on the Board of the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse, a politically progressive interfaith organization.

While Aly has been placed in a difficult position, he has always been about helping others and the community. We should all strive to be like Aly.

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David Asser is a jack of all trades. A man of many talents and skills. He has been a comedian, an actor, a television and film producer/director/writer, an attorney, and even the Press Secretary and Spokesperson of the Justice Department of The Netherlands in The Hague and as an International Policy Advisor for the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service. What David has more than all else is a huge heart and a desire to help immigrants find what he once did: The American dream.

David was born in Amsterdam and lived in the Netherlands until 1986 when he moved to the United States for a few years before returning to his homeland to pursue a career in theatre, film and television. He succeeded in those industries for several years before shifting to a markedly different field: working for the Dutch government where he was involved in numerous high-profile cases and evolving immigration issues in Europe.

In 1999, David immigrated to the US permanently and has since been working in the immigration law field where he has a diverse background that covers a wide spectrum of legal issues including deportation matters, litigation in federal court, asylum, business immigration, temporary visas, family based immigration and international mobility.

David has received numerous honors for his pro bono work. He is a well-respected mentor to many peers. His son, Ben, has followed him into the law and says the following about his father: "Growing up around my father, I always marveled at his compassion, understanding, and tenacity when assisting his immigration clients. To his clients, he was not just a lawyer, he was a pillar of strength – a reminder that even if it seemed that hope was lost, he would do everything he could to provide a light at the end of the tunnel. While I will be focusing my practice on transactional law, I will aim to be more than a lawyer, but a pillar of strength for my clients."

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Akash Desai immigrated to the United States, but that process was not overly difficult in comparison to his struggles to retain high-skilled foreign workers in this country. Akash is the Co-CEO of CyFlare, a fast-growing cybersecurity solutions company based in West Seneca, New York. In this episode, Akash speaks about the trials and tribulations of being an executive in the high tech industry and the difficulties in trying to get work visas, like the elusive H-1B, for international talent. The insight provided by Akash illustrates how many companies are forced to decide between taking a much costlier and uncertain route of trying to keep foreign nationals legally in the U.S. versus having them work remotely from abroad. The modern U.S. immigration system often provides more of an incentive for companies to have their employees work offshore.

Akash is joined by Danielle "Dani" Rizzo, a highly recognized immigration lawyer who discusses her own journey in the immigration law field. She also provides details about how difficult it is for U.S.-based businesses to get the proper work visas for much needed foreign workers and the absurdities of the process to keep them legally in the U.S.

This episode serves as just another cry for better legal pathways for both U.S. employers and foreign employees.