Can I sponsor an immigrant that is a non-family member

Not through the family-based immigration categories - which all require a family relationship.

However, there are sponsorship categories other than family - your friend might be able to get sponsorship based upon employment. If you own or manage a company, in some circumstances it might be possible to sponsor your friend for a green card by offering him a position for which he is qualified. However, only in certain specific circumstances.

You and your friend should speak with an attorney.

For family-based immigrant visas, the only non-family member that would be eligible as a beneficiary of an immigrant visa petition is a fiance of a US citizen. That is, the person is asking for a visa to come to the US to marry the US citizen within 90 days of entry into the US.

For a list of family relationships eligible for family-based immigrant visas, see Form I-130, petition for alien relative. The forms and instructions are free at www.uscis.gov .

Besides being an eligible family member, an intending immigrant may be able to get an immigrant visa upon several other basis.

You or your friend should review the specific facts with an attorney to see if he may qualify for any type of visa.