The Current State of Immigration: Facts, Impacts & Realities

Martin Cabrera

Martin Cabrera is the Founder and CEO of Cabrera Capital Markets, a global investment bank and institutional brokerage firm, and a real estate development and investment firm. 

Martin has more than thirty years of experience in the financial services industry. Martin founded Cabrera Capital in 2001 in Chicago, and since then the firm has grown to become a global financial enterprise with 8 offices nationwide and dedicated trading personnel resources in London. Cabrera Capital has issued over $2.3 trillion in debt and equities for municipalities and corporations domestically and internationally. The firm’s taxable fixed income and global equities trading desks transact over $2.2 billion in securities daily. In 2013, the firm added an expansive real estate development and investment side that provides advisory services including development, acquisition, and management. 

Martin serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at St. Ignatius College Prep, and is on the board of World Business Chicago, INTESECT Illinois, and Homeboy Industries among others. He has been featured in news publications that include CNBC, Crain’s Chicago Business, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, and Axios. 

Martin earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Northern Illinois University and studied at the London School of Economics.

Dagmara Avelar

Dagmara Avelar serves as State Representative for Illinois’ 85th District, a community she has proudly called home since emigrating from Quito, Ecuador at the age of 12. A graduate of Bolingbrook High School and Northeastern Illinois University, Rep. Avelar is completing her Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

A formerly undocumented DREAMer who became a U.S. citizen in 2016, Rep. Avelar has dedicated over a decade to advocating for working families, immigrants, and historically underserved communities. Before her election in 2020, she was Director of Programs at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, where she led the state’s largest naturalization initiative, partnering with 59 community organizations to expand citizenship access and language equity.

In Springfield, Rep. Avelar serves on the Speaker of the House’s leadership team as Assistant Majority Leader, helping to guide legislative priorities for the Democratic Caucus. She has championed legislation to protect drinking water, expand affordable healthcare, combat the opioid crisis, and invest in affordable housing. She has also secured over $100 million in state funding for education, infrastructure, social services, small businesses, and workforce development in her district.

A lifelong community organizer, Rep. Avelar’s commitment to civic engagement began as a teenager mobilizing disenfranchised voters in the southwest suburbs. She continues to bring that grassroots perspective to her work on key legislative committees and boards, including the Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) Board and the Task Force on Foster Youth Transitioning Out of Care.

Guided by her lived experience and deep roots in her community, Rep. Avelar is a tireless advocate for equity, economic opportunity, and a government that works for all.

Raul Raymundo

Raul I. Raymundo, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of The Resurrection Project has long understood the challenges and strengths of working-class and immigrant families. Mr. Raymundo earned a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College ‘88, Northfield, MN. He returned to the neighborhood where he grew up and co-founded The Resurrection Project (TRP) with seed capital of $30,000 from six Chicago-area parishes in 1990. 

Since its inception, TRP has leveraged this capital into more $847 million in community investment positively impacting thousands of individuals in the region. Guided by his leadership, TRP seamlessly blends asset building, community organizing, direct service, and advocacy to build healthier and more engaged communities. TRP is one of the region’s most creative and effective social impact organizations, working across every area of community life. TRP has built over 800 affordable housing units and created generational wealth for more than 158 first-time buyers from historically marginalized groups. It has developed several community assets such as immigration legal clinics, early childhood centers, senior satellite centers, community resource centers, and a charter school serving thousands of families. 

Beyond TRP, Raymundo engages in additional civic and professional engagement, serving on the board of trustees for his alma mater, Carleton College, and several local and national boards, including Self-Help Credit Union with its multi-state operations, and as a co-founder and board member of American Business Immigrant Coalition (ABIC) with its national policy impact. He is also the most recent former Chair of the National Association of Latino Asset Builders (NALCAB), and a board member of START EARLY, Illinois Justice Project, and UnidosUS, in addition to serving on the leadership team for United Power for Action and Justice. In 2024, Raymundo was inducted into the Order of Lincoln, Illinois’ highest civilian award. 

Raymundo’s financial acumen and leadership were instrumental in helping many to avoid foreclosure during the failure of a financial institution. He remains active on several bank community advisory boards, including BMO, CIBC Bank, and Huntington Bank. 

Mr. Raymundo, his wife MariaLuisa and their son and two daughters are lifelong residents of the Pilsen neighborhood.