immigrants
‘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 […]
Poor People’s Campaign pushes for ‘3rd Reconstruction’ in America
The Rev. William Barber and Democratic members of Congress unveiled a resolution Wednesday calling for a “Third Reconstruction” to tackle poverty and the effects of low wages across the country. “This is the real question — what is the cost of inequality,” Barber said at a Washington news conference. The resolution aims to achieve a variety […]
Column: Here’s what we can do to support Michigan immigrants and benefit all counties
Despite rhetoric that attempts to divide us, no matter where we were born, what our color, or how we worship, most of us work hard for our families. It also shouldn’t matter how we got here, as many people with the courage and tenacity to move to a new country, in many cases to make […]
Advocates want citizenship for immigrants who are essential workers
A small group of immigration reform advocates and supporters gathered on the Michigan Capitol steps Friday morning to urge Democrats to do more for immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, including adopting immigration reforms and granting citizenship to essential workers who are immigrants. According to estimates from the pro-immigrant group, FWD.us, about 5.2 million undocumented immigrants […]
Up to 100 new immigration judges would be added under Biden budget request
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday released a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year that would increase the number of immigration judges and allocate millions in funding to clear backlogs of hearings and asylum requests. The administration is grappling with an influx of asylum seekers at the Southern border after inheriting a gutted […]