Research in IMG friendly Places v/s Research in Non-IMG friendly places

Research is far more helpful to your application at the institution where you are doing research. For example, let's say that Michigan State University has a history of taking FMGs (I don't know anything about MSU, just speaking hypothetically); you work for 6 weeks on a project with Dr. Smith and you don't publish anything but you work really hard and Dr. Smith likes you. He believes that you are hard working, and you tell him that if you are accepted at their program, you would continue doing research with him. Now Dr. Smith has an incentive to advocate on your behalf because

1) he likes you and

2) he'll get free research labor from you for 4 years if you match.

Since Dr. Smith sits on the resident selection committee (that's why you chose to do research with him),  his influence will be great. Now imagine that Dr. Smith also interviews another FMG from King Edward Medical University, your friend Ahmed Siddiqi. Ahmed does not have any publications, but Ahmed did 6 months of research at some non-IMG friendly university with Dr. Leventhal, someone that Dr. Smith has heard of but never met. Dr. Leventhal wrote Ahmed a letter saying that Ahmed worked hard on his project and that Ahmed has great potential. Very boring letter, because that's what all letters sound like. Now who do you think Dr. Smith will choose for his residency program, you or your friend Ahmed?

Of course he'll choose you, because he's spent 6 weeks working with you; he had lunch with you several times;  he saw you at the resident conferences;  he knows you as a real person, not just another applicant who visits his hospital to interview one afternoon. All Ahmed has is a letter from some guy from a non-IMG friendly university.

Some noteworthy points are as follows:

1) if you don't publish something, your research efforts are nearly meaningless except at the place where you did research (and if it's at non-IMG friendly place, you don't have a chance anyway)

2) the letter of recommendation you get from someone famous at non-IMG friendly university, who you do research with will only help you at other institutions if they know you very well and truly choose to advocate for you; if that person doesn't really like you and then writes you a typical letter, it is not going to help you a lot.