VC boss who came to the U.S. as a child refugee: 'Without immigration, the American Dream is just a fantasy'

(Credit: Courtesy of Semyon Dukach)

When I was nine, I left the Soviet Union and eventually settled in the United States as a refugee. I studied at Columbia and MIT, developed businesses, ran accelerator programs, and launched my own VC firm to support the growth of U.S. businesses. If the United States’ borders had been more restricted at the time, I likely would have taken those skills to more welcoming climes.

This is what I fear is starting to happen as U.S. immigration policy continues to focus on shutting people out rather than drawing them in. America risks losing its reputation as the "land of the free."