Immigration Reform in Michigan

While Michigan doesn’t have as many undocumented aliens as some states, its mix is more diverse than most. While 58% of illegal immigrants in the U.S. on the whole arrive via Mexico, that number is only 45% of the estimated 100,000 currently residing in Michigan. About 33% of Michigan's undocumented population is from Asia. Michigan is also home to a large number of Indian, Iraqi and other Middle Eastern foreign nationals.

Detroit, more than any other big city, needs numbers. Its population has fallen from 1.8 million in 1950, to less than 800,000 today. That’s left large sections of the city abandoned and blight-ridden. An influx of 16,000 immigrant Latinos in the past five years in Southwest Detroit has helped insulate the area from the city’s overall downward spiral. In Hamtramck, a city once known for its Polish heritage, almost 10,000 immigrants from Bangladesh and Yemen have helped bolster the local economy. Chaldeans, who once thronged to Detroit, are reviving their presence by providing housing for thousands of Iraqi refugees fleeing ISIS, and Dearborn has one of the largest and most prosperous communities of Muslims of Middle Eastern descent in the nation.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder wants to attract legal immigrants to help Detroit move past its recent bankruptcy. Snyder has been a supporter of legal immigration, and he is urging Congress to pursue long-term, comprehensive immigration reform. Unlike many Republicans, Snyder has focused on working with the Obama administration on reforms that could benefit the State. He announced in April that the federal government had approved his request for Michigan to host a center aimed at attracting foreign investors, and the jobs they would bring, to work and live in the United States. It is only the second such center in the country. Taking advantage of what is known as the EB-5 visa program, it is designed to attract talented immigrant entrepreneurs. It does so by designating select businesses to recruit foreign investors for major development projects who are then rewarded with permanent residency.

Finally, Snyder is awaiting word from the Obama administration on his request that the U.S. designate 50,000 work visas for Detroit to attract skilled workers to the city. With the support of Mayor Mike Duggan, he hopes to make visas available for qualified immigrants to put down roots and build careers and lives in Detroit. For more details: Legalquest Network, P.C.

Weston Barnes is a write and an avid reader. When he's not writing about business, marketing, health, pets, or relationships, he's immersed in his latest book.