Detroit Today

Detroit Immigrant Advocates Denounce Anti-Immigrant Comments from Mayor Duggan

® Latino Press

DETROIT, MI – (michiganimmigrant.org) Members of Detroit’s diverse immigrant communities denounce recent anti-immigrant comments made by Mayor Duggan. The Mayor’s use of the I-word is inappropriate, dehumanizing, and an insult to Detroit’s longstanding immigrant communities. Detroit is a Certified Welcoming City and one of the primary criteria is that “local government leadership does not make public statements directly attacking individuals or groups on the basis of their immigration status.” Mayor Duggan has violated that tenet. At a time when immigrant Detroiters are under attack and need the support of their elected officials, the Mayor’s comments are unacceptable.

“It’s disheartening to hear the mayor use such a disparaging word to describe a large portion of the city’s residents, many of whom have contributed to the growth and revitalization of Detroit. In a city populated by majority black and brown people, we would hope that our mayor would not succumb to racist rhetoric and instead stand with the many other mayors who are fighting to defend the people they serve”, stated Angela Reyes, Executive Director of Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation.

Anti-immigrant rhetoric is on the rise and fueling racial profiling. Since 2010, immigrant advocates have encouraged press and government officials to drop the I-word. The Associated Press made the switch in 2013. While Mayors around the country are expressing support for undocumented residents and launching Know Your Rights campaigns, Mayor Duggan is attempting to divide the community into those with lawful status and those who came without authorization. Immigrant leaders want the Mayor to know that Detroit’s immigrant residents are all Detroiters and have contributed the same blood, sweat, and tears as their neighbors.

In fact, Mayor Duggan should be thanking Detroit’s immigrant community for contributing to the vibrancy and growth of the city. Duggan’s goal in office was to achieve population growth and research shows that cities like Detroit would have shrunk without the contributions of immigrants. It takes all of us to create a more prosperous city and immigrant residents, including undocumented Detroiters, have played their part. In 2022, undocumented immigrants in Michigan contributed $240.1M to federal taxes and $128.7M to state and local taxes, and filled important jobs in manufacturing, construction, and hospitality.

Undocumented immigrants are also our friends, family, and neighbors. There are many U.S. citizens in Detroit living with undocumented family members, including U.S. citizen children living with an undocumented parent and U.S. citizens with an undocumented spouse. Community centers and houses of worship around the city don’t divide their constituents on the basis of immigration status, and neither should the Mayor.

“Detroit’s immigrant community has for decades been a backbone of the city’s economy and vibrant cultural life,” said Jasmine Rivera, Co-Executive Director of Rising Voices. “Mayor Duggan’s use of divisive language during this time of crisis when our families fear separation from each other not only dehumanizes immigrants and refugees, it also serves to fuel the anti-immigrant and anti-Asian rhetoric and violence that our communities faced during the first Trump administration. As the fastest growing population in Michigan, Asian American and all immigrant communities are crucial to the future of our state, and our families deserve respect, support and care from elected leaders and all of those seeking public office.”

Detroit immigrant leaders call on city leaders to show solidarity and support for immigrant families during this time of unprecedented attacks. Advocates encourage immigrant residents to get familiar with their rights and prepare for increased immigration enforcement by consulting Know Your Rights materials in multiple languages. Additionally, advocates remind residents that in 2020 the City passed a Bias Based Policing ordinance that prohibits public servants and police officers from asking immigration status in order to prevent acts of discrimination. Immigrant Detroiters who experience racial profiling during police encounters can report it confidentially to the ACLU Police Misconduct Hotline (313) 208-7048.

Detroit has long served as a beacon of freedom, refuge, and opportunity for migrants from around the world. Detroit is home to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers of all backgrounds, and continues to welcome people – regardless of immigration status – hoping to make a new life in the Motor City. There are about 38,000 foreign-born residents living in Detroit, hailing from Latin America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Nearly half of Detroit immigrants are naturalized citizens and approximately 11% of Detroit households speak a language other than English at home. While some neighborhoods boast sizable and recognizable immigrant populations, for example in southwest Detroit or Banglatown, immigrants live across the city and in every district. Whether they arrived a generation ago or recently, immigrants and refugees contribute to the fabric of the city socially, culturally, and economically.

“I am grateful to my ancestors who had the courage to leave their families and countries of origin to start new lives here in the City of Detroit,” said Christine Sauvé, Policy and Communications Manager at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. “My great-grandfather came as an unaccompanied minor, without a visa or resources, and was able to prosper by starting as a sanitation worker for the City of Detroit and eventually opening his own business. There are thousands of similar brave individuals present in the city today, people with and without authorized immigration status who have fled poverty, violence, and conflict to share their talent and culture with fellow Detroiters. I would hate for our Mayor to turn his back on all these individuals contributing to the greatness of our city.”