A Case For Increased Immigration To Detroit
America has had a motley history when it comes to immigration. It’s first group of immigrants from Europe forcibly removed many of the original Americans from their ancestral homes and decimated their populations through disease and murder. Not long after, millions of Africans were kidnapped and forced to migrate to America where they were enslaved. In fairly recent times, there have even been laws that purposefully limited the numbers of non-European immigrants that could enter the country in order to create a more ‘racially homogeneous’ society. Despite this the country has flourished so some may wonder, why should this aversion to immigration be adjusted?
Perhaps it should not, but for at least one city, the influx of new people might be a boon. The city of Detroit was once one of America’s most productive and prosperous. It was the seat of the automotive industry and many of the country’s top car manufacturers called it their home. Then, they left. Many different factors led them to relocate but after this took place, many of the city’s citizens were without jobs. So they left and the sub prime mortgage crisis led to even greater problems for those who stayed. After a time houses were abandoned and in less than a decade some went from livable to empty lots.
How could immigration help, you might ask? The provincial nominee program from Canada gives a good example. Canada is large and where some provinces are close to their ideal population levels, others need people. They allow employers to sponsor immigrants who are capable of filling jobs. Such a program could be arranged for Detroit that gives legal residency status to immigrants who will live there and help rebuild. Despite its condition, it is still part of America and many people still yearn for the American dream.
The main drawback to this type of project is that many Americans still fear immigration unlike their Canadian counterparts. This means that they think of people from other countries as competitors for limited jobs. Oddly enough, immigrants are more likely to start businesses than people who are born citizens. This means that they may create jobs and improve the neighborhoods that they are part of, especially when selected with care.
There will always be dissenters when a decision is made but that should not stop it from being done if it is the right one. Perhaps the people of Detroit should decide.