Ali Noorani (born 1974) is an American

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

leader who has been the Executive Director of the

National Immigration Forum The National Immigration Forum is an immigrant advocacy non-profit group, based in Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of th ...

, a

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

- based immigration policy organization, since 2008.

Biography

Noorani was born in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1974, the son of

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

immigrants. He completed a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1996, and a master's degree in

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1999. Noorani then served as the Director of Public Health for the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center and Codman Square Health Center, two large community health centers in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and worked for the City of Boston coordinating funding and technical assistance to regional environmental projects. Before joining the Forum, Noorani was Executive Director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA).

Professional activities

Noorani is a frequent voice on immigration policy and politics, and he has appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, NBC News, ABC News, and various radio and local news programs. He has been quoted in newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today, and he speaks regularly on immigration at conferences and college campuses. Noorani has led the Forum through a transition process to broaden its focus on unlikely allies and creative alliance building toward a better for future for immigrants and America. The National Immigration Forum has accreditation from the Better Business Bureau and a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.

Film

Noorani was featured in the 2009 documentary ''Papers – the movie''. ''Papers'' is the story of undocumented youth and the challenges they face as they turn 18 without legal status. He also appeared in Story 12 of ''

How Democracy Works Now ''How Democracy Works Now'' is a 10-part, feature documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of immigration reform during 2001–2007. The films were directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team ...

'', a 12-part documentary film series that examines the American political system through the lens of immigration reform from 2001 to 2007. The series was directed and produced by award-winning filmmaking team

Shari Robertson Shari Robertson is an American film director and producer. Her filmmaking credits include '' How Democracy Works Now'', '' Well-Founded Fear'', ''These Girls Are Missing'', ''Inside the Khmer Rouge'', ''Return to Year Zero'' and ''Washington/Per ...

and

Michael Camerini Michael Camerini is a British-born American film director, producer and cinematographer. His filmmaking credits include ''FRONTLINE: Immigration BattleNiger:Tales of Resilience'' ''How Democracy Works Now'', ''Well-Founded Fear'', ''These Girls A ...

. A cut of the film premiered on HBO in March 2010, under the title ''The Senator's Bargain''.

Select publications

*''There Goes the Neighborhood: How Communities Overcome Prejudice and Meet the Challenge of American Immigration'', Prometheus Books (2017) *�
Conservatives Agree, Immigration Reform Can Be Good Policy and Good Politics
” Fox News Latino, October 17, 2012 *�

” CNN.com, August 27, 2012 *�

” CNN.com, August 15, 2012 *�
US Immigration System at its Worst
” Boston Globe, March 9, 2007 *“Race, Class, and the Emergence of an Immigrant Rights Movement in the United States,”

The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs ''The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs'' is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal of international relations established in 1975. It is managed by students at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University). It is also an online for ...

, Winter 2007 Vol 31:1

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noorani, Ali 1974 births Living people University of California, Berkeley alumni Boston University School of Public Health alumni American people of Pakistani descent