As the backbone of modern economies, the tertiary sector thrives on innovation, advanced technologies, and the expertise of highly qualified professionals. In the U.S., highly skilled immigrants are key contributors to the knowledge economy — a vital component of the tertiary sector — through inventions, patents, and entrepreneurial endeavors in cutting-edge industries. Immigrant entrepreneurs contribute to U.S. economic development by reshaping the urban landscapes where they operate and sparking growth through high-tech sectors (Brown et al. 2018). Their contributions have been documented by researchers in many ways:
- Job creation (American Immigration Council 2022).
- Acceleration of innovation and entrepreneurship (Kerr 2020).
- The strength of the STEM labor force (Hanson and Liu 2018).
- Patent registry (Gaspar Olvera 2021).
- Research and development (R&D) (Brown et al. 2018).
This report analyzes the role of these players in relation to startups, in particular those that become binational firms with operations in Mexico and the U.S. It focuses on the role that highly skilled Latino immigrants — who have at least a bachelor’s degree, …