immigrants
Column: Here’s a proven, immigrant-inclusive policy so more kids have health insurance
Michigan continues to be a national leader in the percentage of kids with health insurance. The most recent Kids Count data found that 97% of kids are insured in the state compared to 94% nationally. This is due in large part to policy decisions that expand eligibility and improve health care access and affordability, especially […]
‘Developing partnerships is important now more than ever’
State Rep. Padma Kuppa (D-Troy), the Michigan Legislature’s first Indian immigrant and Hindu lawmaker, believes that partnerships are the way to create good public policy. Kuppa, who is serving a second term in the GOP-led state House, represents a swing seat in Troy and Clawson, two metro Detroit suburbs. She told the Advance on Wednesday […]
Democrats’ vision for free community college would boost undocumented students
WASHINGTON—The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was included in a plan drafted […]
Mobile vaccine clinics aim to bridge the gap for Latinos, immigrants in Kent Co.
Before COVID-19 hit Michigan, registered nurse Melissa Bisel oversaw the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC), as well as immunization programs at the Kent County Health Department (KCHD). Now, as a public health program supervisor in KCHD’s health clinics division, Bisel oversees mobile vaccination clinics to combat the spread of COVID-19. […]
‘What was left behind was a broken family’
Nelly Fuentes remembers the moment her entire life changed. She remembers how cold it was that morning in February 2008. How her husband’s voice shook when he told her he had been pulled over while driving home from work. “That’s when my nightmare began,” said Fuentes, who lives in Southwest Michigan. “Anyone who’s undocumented knows […]
Immigrant driver license hearing gets canceled at last minute
Updated, 4:31 p.m. 9/14/21 with a list of groups that planned to testify Michigan House Speaker Jason Wentworth (R-Clare) asked to nix a long-awaited hearing Tuesday on legislation expanding access to driver licenses and state IDs for a wide range of Michiganders, including both documented and undocumented immigrants. The Michigan House Rules and Competitiveness Committee, […]
Whitmer: State ‘embraces the opportunity’ to take in Afghan refugees
As the Taliban continues to gain control of Afghanistan after the U.S.-supported Afghanistan government and military crumbled, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Friday that the state is prepared to welcome Afghan citizens fleeing their home. Whitmer said in a press release that state departments and agencies are “gearing up to ensure Afghans who may come […]
No, undocumented immigrants don’t commit more crime. Research shows they commit a lot less.
It’s an article of faith in some corners of politics and the media: All those undocumented immigrants crossing the southern border are making crime much worse in the United States. But new research gives the lie to that assertion. And, some border officials say, continuing to promote it will only lead to another racist massacre […]
DACA ruling scrambles Dreamers’ plans — yet again
Following a favorable U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, undocumented immigrants rushed to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, which protects from deportation people who arrived in the United States as minors. They were met with months-long agency delays and backlogs, all happening amid a pandemic. And now their applications are […]
Francisco Ramirez: We can’t wait for the DREAM Act any longer
June is Immigrant Heritage Month in the United States. It gives us the opportunity to reflect on our history as a nation founded upon immigration and appreciate how immigrants enrich the state of Michigan and the rest of the country. This year’s Immigrant Heritage Month includes an important anniversary that reminds us of the significant […]
Settled into new homes, refugees in U.S. say they are working for a better life for all
Updated, 9:14 a.m., 6/23/21 Violence, persecution and wars amid a global pandemic added to the growing number of displaced persons around the world last year. The United Nations reports that 11.2 million people were displaced from their homelands in 2020, bringing the total number of displaced persons in the world to 82.4 million. Of those […]
Bills you may have missed, from licenses for undocumented individuals to requiring the governor report travel
Michigan’s governor would be required to report when they travel out of state to legislative leaders and undocumented individuals would be able to receive a driver license under bills introduced recently in the Michigan Legislature. Those are just two of the bills members of the House and Senate introduced in mid May on topics ranging […]