Every single immigrant we have is a future American. That’s just the truth of it.
∼ Junot Diaz
We document the lives of recent immigrants – you who want better lives, who are driven to succeed, and who wake up at night hearing a voice telling you life in America could be better for you and your family. Building a Life in the USA seeks to understand and share your stories, to make your experiences visible.
We offer close-up narratives of your everyday lives through videos, recorded voices, written text, and images.
We want to show others your unique perspectives and reveal America through your eyes because we know our nation’s future is in your hands.
The Good Immigrant
From Trump's proposed border wall and travel ban to the marching of white supremacists in Charlottesville, America is consumed by tensions over immigration and the question of which bodies are welcome. In this much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling UK edition,...
Lives Derailed
Over the past decade, more than a million undocumented immigrants from Mexico returned to a country many have never known. The majority of them lived in the United States for the better part of their lives. Immigration is an issue close to my heart, and the last few...
Missed Translations – Meeting the Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me
A bittersweet and humorous memoir of family—of the silence and ignorance that separate us, and the blood and stories that connect us—from an award-winning New York Times writer and comedian. Approaching his 30th birthday, Sopan Deb had found comfort in his day job as...
Searching 80,000 miles for the American dream
Photographer Ian Brown travelled more than 80,000 miles around the US, trying to discover the meaning of the so-called American dream. "The idea of the American dream has always been rooted in the mythology of American culture," he says. "It is really just a vague...
Kumail Nanjiani on ‘Little America’ and Hopeful Immigrant Stories
The comic and actor discusses his new anthology series on Apple TV Plus, and why “despite all the issues, I personally do feel optimistic about this...