Immigrant entrepreneurs have long been an important part of America’s economic success story. Some of the largest and most recognizable American companies were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants, hence our report uses the moniker “New American” to describe these companies.

The majority of U.S. unicorns—private startups worth more than $1 billion—have at least one immigrant founder, according to the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP).

Nearly 43.8%, or 219 companies, in this year's fortune 500 list were founded by immigrants or their children, according to a report released by the American Immigration Council. The report underlines the need to encourage entrepreneurship and innovation and the essential role of immigrant entrepreneurs in the US economy.

A study commissioned by the National Venture Capital Association has found that venture-backed companies with at least one foreign-born founder are now responsible for more initial public offerings and job creation than before the economic downturn.

The Partnership for a New American Economy – a group of more than 450 Republican, Democratic, and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans – released a new study today, Patent Pending: How Immigrants Are Reinventing The American Economy, showing that 76 percent…