Across Massachusetts, immigrant entrepreneurs are a driving force behind our economy. They open restaurants, launch biotech firms, and staff our hospitals. Immigrants anchor the small businesses that line our Main Streets. As our nation nears the 250 year-mark of American entrepreneurship, their contributions deserve both recognition and robust policy support.
MIRA Coalition Executive Director Liz Sweet made that case directly to the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in late April, testifying that immigrant entrepreneurship is not a new phenomenon. It is a throughline of American economic history, and one we cannot afford to undermine. You can watch her testimony here
By the Numbers
The data tells a compelling story. Immigrants generate roughly $130 billion in economic output annually for Massachusetts and make up 28% of business owners in the state, well above the national average of 21%. In Greater Boston, immigrants own 40% of “Main Street” businesses, including more than half of all restaurants, 61% of nail salons, and 86% of convenience stores.
More than 91,000 immigrant entrepreneurs across the Commonwealth generate over $3 billion in business income. Immigrants also represent nearly 30% of STEM workers, helping power the life sciences and biotechnology sectors that are central to Massachusetts’ global competitiveness.
From the Cape Verdean entrepreneurs who played a defining role in 1800’s New England maritime trade, to the immigrant founders behind TJX Companies, Moderna, and Biogen, this is a story as old as the Commonwealth itself. Fifty-eight percent of Fortune 500 firms based in Massachusetts were founded by at least one immigrant or child of immigrants.
The Barriers Are Real
Despite these contributions, immigrant business owners and workers continue to face significant obstacles to inclusion. From limited access to capital and language barriers, to an increasingly hostile enforcement climate, fear and instability is created for workers and employers alike.
That instability has real economic consequences.
One of the most damaging recent policy changes has come from the Small Business Administration. As of March 1, 2026, the SBA now requires that 100% of all owners of a small business loan applicant be U.S. citizens, effectively barring lawful permanent residents from owning any stake in a business that seeks SBA financing. This is a significant and harmful shift that cuts off access to capital for thousands of immigrant entrepreneurs who have built their lives and businesses here legally. MIRA is actively advocating against this policy, pushing back on a rule that undermines the very entrepreneurs who power our Main Streets and fuel Massachusetts’ economic growth. MIRA is supporting a bill introduced by Senator Markey to address this, the Investing in the American Dream Act.
How MIRA Is Responding
MIRA partners directly with the business community to provide education and engagement . Through customized Know Your Rights (KYR) trainings, MIRA helps immigrant-owned and immigrant-employing businesses understand their rights and responsibilities. Trainings are tailored depending on the business sector and employee level, whether HR staff, management, or frontline workers, and offered in flexible formats.
Since 2025, MIRA has delivered more than 50 KYR trainings across industries including hospitality, construction, biotechnology, healthcare, and the arts, reaching over 1,500 employees in the business community. MIRA frequently partners with Chambers of Commerce and business associations to extend that reach further, and conducts routine compliance reviews to ensure training stays current with the latest policy developments.
Looking ahead, MIRA sees this work as the foundation of something larger. As a convener of over 160 member organizations, we are uniquely positioned to connect businesses, community groups, and advocates into a growing network, one where employers can share resources, stay informed, and collectively push for the policies that allow immigrant entrepreneurs and workers to thrive.
A Call to the Business Community
MIRA’s Business Pledge offers employers a concrete way to take a stand. More than 50 businesses have pledged, affirming their commitment to strengthen our workforce, improve economic stability, and keep Massachusetts competitive. Signatories call on policymakers, business leaders, and community partners to build a Commonwealth where immigrants and refugees can fully participate and thrive.
If your business believes that immigrant workers and entrepreneurs are essential to Massachusetts’ future, please sign MIRA’s Massachusetts Businesses Pledge to Protect Our Immigrant Communities. And stay tuned for details around MIRA’s next event at the end of June, which will focus on immigrant-owned small businesses, and the challenges they face in the current economic and political moment.
Individuals can continue to support the MA state legislation and budget initiatives that will establish protections for immigrants, extending to businesses, communities, and everyone who lives and works in the Commonwealth. Here is our most recent Action Alert – stay connected with us by checking our website or signing up for our weekly bulletin for updates and more ways to support.