On Oct. 18, 2025, some 40 citizens gathered at Arapahoe Community College in Littleton to attend the workshop sponsored by Immigrant Pathways Colorado: The Immigration Rollercoaster: What to Know, What to Do.
Participants heard experienced immigration lawyer Joy Athanasiou speak about the history of immigration laws in the U.S.:
- The 1790 Naturalization Act provided citizenship to all who were born in the U.S.
- In 1870 , the act was extended to African-Americans.
- In 1882, Chinese were barred from entry to the country, and between 1882 and 1924, those named as drunks, paupers, prostitutes, carpetbaggers and other “undesirables” were banned.
- Women finally became citizens in 1922 under the Cable Act.
- Native Americans were finally eligible for citizenship in 1924, and when the National Origin Act passed that year, quotas for people from other countries were based on the 1920 Census.
- In1929, the Undesirable Aliens Act banned people of Latin origin.
- And between 1924 and 1965, 70% of Visas were given to those who came from England, Ireland and Germany.
- From 1952 to1965, the Immigration and Nationality Act repealed racial quotas, and employment-based visas began to be issued (to accommodate Braceros, seasonal farm workers).
- The situation today adds family and employer sponsorships, and humanitarian visas for refugees and asylees.
Athanasiou noted that there are extremely long waiting lines for families whose adult children are trying to enter the U.S. Employer visas for people from India, for example, have an 80-year wait. Applications from people who applied from China have a waiting list going back to 1907!
Athanasiou also pointed out that 1 in 10 Colorado residents is an immigrant. Immigrants make up 12% of the labor force, 21% of the construction force, and 30% of housekeeping/janitorial jobs. Fully 29% of Colorado physicians are immigrants, and 35% of health care workers are from other countries. Immigrants pay $1.7 billion in state and local taxes and $4.1 billion federal income taxes annually.
Immigration courts are completely backed-up, she pointed out. During Obama’s tenure as president, 200,000 asylum applications were waiting for judicial review. By President Trump’s first four four-year term, 1.3 million applications were backed up. And today there are 3 .7 million asylum applications in immigration courts, with wait-times from 1 to 10 years or even more.
Athanasiou said that among other things, America needs:
- New visas for workers
- An end to country caps
- A visa system that is more flexible and allows more discretion
- Reform and funding for immigration courts.
Victor Galvan spoke about immigrants’ rights, urging participants to call their representatives in the U.S. House and Senate and seek justice for immigrants.
He distributed a “Know Your Rights” handout that included advice that immigrants not run if confronted by ICE. Also, “Do not open your door unless ICE has a signed warrant to enter your home,” he said.
He urged immigrants to carry copies of their legal documents (and never provide false documents), to ask to speak with their attorney, and to never sign a document without the advice of an attorney.
“Make a plan,” he urged immigrants. The plan should include copies of all documents, and copies of a care plan for children,
Athanasiou pointed out that ICE is now moving immigrants around the U.S. to different detention centers, with even immigration attorneys struggling to locate their clients.
Speakers from Ukraine and Columbia
Two dynamic speakers told their stories to participants as well.
Andrew Matya, from the Ukraine, said the main reason that immigrants come to the U.S. is for safety. There are 20,000 Ukrainians in Colorado, he said, 88% of them with children.
Matya is active in Ukrainians of Colorado, which provides clothes and financial support for children in Ukraine. He also directs Kobzar, a Ukrainian school in Littleton that focuses on music, sports and Ukrainian heritage.
“We were victims at the start but should become partners and neighbors in our community and state,” Matya said.
Javier Mantilla, from Columbia, spoke about why so many people from his country came to the U.S. Terrorism in Columbia forced many to immigrate, he said, as he described his life’s journey.
