Welcoming Michigan Initiative: Immigrant Impact

Published in August 2010, the Global Detroit Study provides evidence on the significant impact immigrants have on Michigan’s economy and how we can keep growing our immigrant population. Reviewing the study on the heels of the presidential election, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the popular catchphrase that I heard so much during the campaigns: “We are a nation of immigrants”. In the case of our chugging national economic situation, “we are a nation of immigrants that needs immigrants”—especially in southeast Michigan.

The study’s “Michigan Immigrants Fact Sheet” is a great set of talking points for anyone looking to make the case for immigrants on an economic, rather than altruistic, basis:

• Between ’96 and ’07, Michigan’s foreign-born were more than three times as likely as US-born residents to start new businesses.
• Between ’90 and ’05, Michigan’s foreign-born were six times as likely as US-born residents to start a high-tech firm.
• If all illegal immigrants were removed from Michigan, the state would lose $3.8 billion in economic activity, $1.7 billion in gross state product, and approximately 20,339 jobs.
• In ’05, Arab-American employment accounted for $7.7 billion in total earnings in the four counties of the Detroit metropolitan area, generating an estimated $554 million in state tax revenue.
• In Michigan, as of 2009, 86.6% of children with immigrant parents were considered “English proficient”.

But, sadly, despite these well foot-noted, factual figures, I can hear the responses of those who are at least quasi anti-immigrant, “Yeah, they create businesses, and now Dearborn looks like the Middle East. The Mexicans are taking our jobs. Immigrants come here, and now forms have to be written in three languages.” In some cases, the triggers are easy to spot: different dress, different language, different alphabet, and different religion. It’s not enough that a once empty storefront is now an active business or a vacant house is now owned. The business or the house is foreign-owned because the American who owns it looks and speaks…differently. Some will say it’s about losing our national identity, but that’s a red herring. Is an American any less American if his skin color is brown or her birthplace is another country? Remember, “We’re a country of immigrants”—mostly. (American Indians have the market on being original residents).

The end result of this kind of mistrust is a divided community: US-born residents, as I’ve previously written, tend to isolate or move away. Of course, immigrant residents tend to insulate within their immigrant communities. There is some logic to this: Veteran immigrants assist new immigrants to navigate the new country. Veteran immigrants speak the same language. Immigrant communities insure the continuation of cultural traditions from the home country, and, no doubt, there is significantly less judgment. (Ah, yes, those last two items, the preservation of cultural traditions and the fear of judgment, are common ground in both the US-born and immigrant communities).

In an effort to integrate divided communities and create a more welcoming state for immigrants, the Global Detroit Study recommended and is implementing the Welcoming Michigan initiative, a part of the Welcoming America initiative. Piloted in four communities, Sterling Heights, Hamtramck, the Chadsey-Condon neighborhood in southwest Detroit, and Hartford in west Michigan, the idea is pretty simple: conduct outreach events that bring immigrants and US-born together. The events range from roundtable conversations to ethnic festivals to neighborhood clean up events to cooking classes. All events have the same goal: get US-born and foreign-born together, in the same space, so that they can develop new perceptions based on first person interactions, rather than on fear-generated rumors and stereotypes.

While I support this grassroots approach, I’m also skeptical. The attitudes I encounter seem intractable. There is a willingness to believe lies if they support what one already believes and a willingness to dismiss truth if it is contrary to what one already believes. (Case in point: Birthers). Yet, I see no other way of moving our communities forward. Those who are open-minded will be the first to attend the Welcoming Michigan events. For those who have no interest in changing their minds about immigrants, cultural exchanges will not be enticing. Yet, those first participants will, hopefully, recruit others, and those others will recruit others and so on. The process of integrating mindsets is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Though, after 200 years, one would think we could have crawled past the finish line by now.

  

(On a side note: In addition to its focus on cultural exchanges of food, music, and dialogue, the Welcoming Michigan initiative might consider entrepreneurial events in which successful foreign-born entrepreneurs are partnered with would-be US-born entrepreneurs to provide insight and coaching. If a US-born resident is feeling shut out of his own community, one potential way for him to reconnect is through business ownership).

  

Sources:

“Global Detroit Study.” Global Detroit. Global Detroit, 11 Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2012.

http://www.globaldetroit.com/resources/publications/

Mathis, Jo. “Plan for Detroit: Immigrants Bring Money.” The Bridge. The Center for Michigan, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

http://bridgemi.com/2011/10/plan-for-detroit-immigrants-bring-money/

“Michigan Immigrants Fact Sheet.” Welcoming Michigan. Welcoming Michigan, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012.

http://welcomingmichigan.org/sites/default/files/WelcomingMichiganImmigrantFactSheet.pdf