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As Congress moves forward with immigration reform, we take a look at how this issue connects to culture, business and families in the Northwest.Our region is home to a unique blend of immigrants who work in all parts of our economy — from high-tech to agriculture. This population already has a deeply-rooted history here. And its ranks are expanding rapidly.Proposals for comprehensive immigration reform address border security, employment verification, guest-worker programs and pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the US.

Ask an immigrant, hear stories of struggle and success

Questions surrounding immigration are regular parts of the news cycle these days. We hear stories of immigrants being harassed, detained and deported. We hear stories of families separated.

Many of us may not have the opportunity to talk to immigrants about their experiences. KUOW created a space for those questions recently at an "Ask an Immigrant" event in Bellevue. 

KUOW’s "Ask a ___" events create a safe and respectful environment for people to explore each other's views. 

We set up one-on-one conversations for six minutes. After that, a bell rings, chairs are swapped and another conversation begins. At the end, we host a group discussion and a meal.

This "Ask an Immigrant" event took place at Resonance at SOMA Towers on July 22. See pictures from this event at our Facebook page.

Sign up for another event in our Ask A__ series

Listen to some of the conversations below:

[asset-images[{"caption": "Floribert and Julia at KUOW's Ask an Immigrant event", "fid": "138028", "style": "placed_wide", "uri": "public://201707/DSC_0972.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Lisa Wang"}]]

[asset-audio[{"description": "", "fid": "138026", "uri": "npraudio://201707/ask_an_immigrant_julia_and_floribert.mp3"}]][asset-images[{"caption": "Matthew and Ali at KUOW's Ask an Immigrant event", "fid": "138029", "style": "placed_wide", "uri": "public://201707/DSC_0976.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Lisa Wang"}]]

[asset-audio[{"description": "", "fid": "138027", "uri": "npraudio://201707/ask_an_immigrant_matthew_and_ali.mp3"}]]

[asset-images[{"caption": "Chie and Barbara at KUOW's Ask an Immigrant event", "fid": "138034", "style": "placed_wide", "uri": "public://201707/DSC_0983.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Lisa Wang"}]]

[asset-audio[{"description": "", "fid": "138032", "uri": "public://201707/ask_an_immigrant_barbara_and_chie.mp3"}]][asset-images[{"caption": "Ali and Patrick at KUOW's Ask an Immigrant event", "fid": "138038", "style": "placed_wide", "uri": "public://201707/DSC_0986.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Lisa Wang"}]]

[asset-audio[{"description": "", "fid": "138041", "uri": "public://201707/ask_an_immigrant_patrick_and_ali.mp3"}]][asset-images[{"caption": "Anders and Ruchir at KUOW's Ask an Immigrant event", "fid": "138040", "style": "placed_wide", "uri": "public://201707/DSC_0996.jpg", "attribution": "Credit KUOW Photo/Lisa Wang"}]][asset-audio[{"description": "", "fid": "138039", "uri": "public://201707/ask_an_immigrant_ruchir_and_anders_0.mp3"}]]

Year started with KUOW: 2006