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For some immigrants, America's debt culture is a complicated journey

This illustration picture shows debit and credit cards arranged on a desk on April 6, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia.
OLIVIER DOULIERY
/
AFP via Getty Images
This illustration picture shows debit and credit cards arranged on a desk on April 6, 2020 in Arlington, Virginia.

Each swipe of a credit card is a small loan. But what if you were taught to never be in debt? For immigrants, America's reliance on credit scores often means a jarring and oddly complicated journey.

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Alina Selyukh
Alina Selyukh is a business correspondent at NPR, where she covers retail, low-wage work, big brands and other aspects of the consumer economy. Her work has been recognized by the Gracie Awards, the National Headliner Award and the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
Tirzah Christopher
Tirzah Christopher is the 2023 Roy W. Howard fellow at NPR. An international investigative reporter, she graduated in December 2022 with a master's degree in investigative journalism from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.