Led by Congresswoman Cardenas, Immigrant Success Network Pushes for Nationwide Child Poverty Relief Through Education Reform
They met in one of New York’s family sanctuary shelters 20 years ago, at the height of the asylum seeker surge. It wasn’t exactly a star-crossed beginning—things were rough in the shelters, and many arrived without the support network of a local family who had already established themselves in New York. They were kids then, escaping the unsafe situations in Venezuela, Haiti, and other places. While living in a converted hotel in East New York run by the Catholic Church, they went to the city’s public schools. They became New Yorkers.
And they found success. In the years since, this group of friends has become business leaders, attorneys, developers, politicians, and even a celebrity. They’ve fanned out around the country. But they’ve stayed friends all these years and expanded their network to include hundreds of asylum seekers who came over as children. They share a bond, knowing their lives could have been otherwise, and feeling a responsibility to pay some of it back.
A decade later, Ricardo founded a company that pioneered the widespread use of solar glass. Many NYC buildings now generate more than 25% of their electricity through their windows and facades.
This is what sparked American Dream Renewal, a policy institute and philanthropy led by Congresswoman Olga Cardenas—the first asylum seeker elected to federal office. ADR is now a formidable presence in Washington, and it’s pushing a bold anti-poverty plan that would make Lyndon Johnson nod in approval. The most surprising thing about the plan: it has nothing to do with asylum or even immigration. Its point is simply to alleviate child poverty in the US.
Olga and her fellow asylees benefited from the excellent New York City public schools, where they learned English and discovered their talents and leadership abilities. ADR focuses on education by supporting special programs in public schools, especially ELS. It also tracks students through a pipeline of internships with companies that the migrants started.
They’ve developed it from a pilot into a massive project over the last five years. Now they are lobbying to make it a federally funded jumpstart for the entire US education system, with the goal of evening out the quality of public education and access.
The most surprising thing about the plan: it has nothing to do with asylum or even immigration. Its point is simply to alleviate child poverty in the US.
Olga Cardenas, at 37 years old, is a new member of Congress. She is the daughter of a Colombian labor lawyer mother and a builder father who brought their family over under threat of death after their mother’s work caught the attention of a mobbed-up local politician. They made their way through the Darien Gap, joining asylum seekers from different economic classes.
Olga’s brother, Ricardo, began work as a glazier, attaching glass to skyscrapers, soon after arriving in New York. In a formative episode he often recounts today, he was laughed off the construction site by a foreman for his broken English, even though he’d been legally hired to work. He was told by his mother to absorb the lesson. A decade later, Ricardo founded a company that pioneered the widespread use of solar glass. Many NYC buildings now generate more than 25% of their electricity through their windows and facades. Ricardo’s company is now the largest solar glass provider in the state.
They share a bond, knowing their lives could have been otherwise, and feeling a responsibility to pay some of it back.
As Olga Cardenas and her peers push forward with their initiative to tackle child poverty, they are not just reshaping policy but reimagining what success looks like for those who come from hardship. They embody the idea that the American Dream isn’t a static concept but one that evolves, fueled by the very people who have faced its toughest tests.