A pro-immigrant stance is good business for Michigan

The new administration is reaping fear, chaos and anger across the country, prompting many to take to the streets in protest. In Michigan, hundreds of people battled the bitter cold to demonstrate at an anti-Trump rally at the state Capitol Feb 17, President’s Day. Demonstrators amassed to protest unlawful immigration policy changes, federal government restructuring, pardoning people convicted of violent and subversive criminal acts, and more.

The surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years and the failed federal response made immigration a central and contentious issue in the last political cycle. For Michiganders, immigration was one of the more important issues in the 2024 elections. Next to the economy, Michigan voters saw immigration as the most important issue facing the country. They considered it more important than abortion, climate change, healthcare, crime, gun policy or foreign policy.

President Trump’s follow-through with campaign promises to deport all undocumented immigrants has made immigration an even more controversial issue. As he  moves forward with the “largest deportation effort in America,” the negative impact is already being felt and suffered by communities across the country. Reports of empty schools and workplaces are circulating as more people avoid day-to-day activities out of fear. Meanwhile, Republican governors are using Trump’s directive to push for even harsher immigration policies in their states. Some are proposing using bounty hunters to round  up immigrants in our communities. Others are calling for fees on undocumented children to access public education. Still others are proposing’ fingerprinting migrant children.

Sadly, Trump’s campaign to rid the country of these “bad immigrants” is misguided. Not only is it based on falsehoods, lies and racist propaganda that denigrates the value of people and their important and rightful place in our society, but it also undermines our prosperity.

Despite evidence to the contrary, right wing anti-immigrant groups blame immigrants, authorized or not, for the economic hardship Americans. They falsely portray immigrants as a fiscal burden on the American taxpayer. These groups also falsely point to immigrants as the reason for increased crimes in our communities. As most research indicates, immigrants are less likely than non-immigrants to commit crimes, regardless of their legal status. 

In actuality, the most common crime associated with unauthorized immigration is likely improper entry into the country. Under federal law improper entry by non-citizens is a misdemeanor.  Like all other criminal charges in the U.S., improper entry must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to convict, and all people are entitled to due process under the law.

Albeit the administration claims the focus of the deportation efforts is on criminals, immigrant criminals are not the only target of arrests and deportations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies. Non-criminal immigrants were detained and deported under Trump’s first administration as well.  According to statistics reviewed by the Detroit Free Press between 2016 to 2017, the number of immigrants without criminal records arrested or deported by federal agents in Michigan and Ohio soared by 117% as Trump’s first administration toughened immigration enforcement.

Both Republicans and Democrats agree on the need to secure the border, but how to achieve border security is and has been a contested issue. Last year, bipartisan immigration legislation failed, at the prompting of then candidate Trump.

People’s opinions on mass deportations and what to do about unauthorized immigrants are often intertwined with what they think about how to improve national border security. That is why for many,  mass deportations are seen as the best deterrent to stopping people from crossing the border illegally. Supporters of deportations also call for putting up a border wall, more funding for ICE and enforcement of immigration laws, and militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border.

For many others, reforming the legal and illegal immigration system is the answer to both deportations and border security. For decades, without success, Congress has been urged to create an earned pathway to citizenship for hardworking immigrants who have been here for years, and to create workable and legal pathways for people seeking to come into our country.

Still others see the need to address the growing disparities in personal income between the U.S. and Mexico and Central and South American countries as a necessary part of any long-term solution to securing the border. Such proposals rest on the idea that U.S. foreign policies favoring unregulated global markets have contributed to these disparities, acting as a trigger for today’s mass migration. Broad-based sustainability in less developed countries that keeps pace with the growth in the population and labor force is seen as the only hope for reduction in international migration.

Not only do mass deportations, illegal enforcement of federal immigration laws and harsher immigration policies fail to address the real issues of border security, they put fear in people and hinder economic growth and prosperity. In 2022, the 46.2 million immigrants in the country  (about 14% of the U.S. population) generated $1.6 trillion in economic activity. They paid more than $579 billion in taxes for services and benefits they are often denied. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reports that increased migration could reduce the U.S. federal budget deficit by some $897 billion over the next decade.

In Michigan, the 687,000 immigrants residing in the state (about 7% of the state’s population) account for 8.5 % of the state’s employed workforce, filling labor gaps in key industries. They paid $5.5 billion in federal taxes and $2.6 billion in state and local taxes in 2022. Their spending power was valued at $23.1 billion, which was 8.6% of the state total.  A recent study found that about 10% of the state’s GDP can be attributed to immigrants residing in the state.

Michigan’s foreign-born workforce fills labor gaps in key industries like manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, construction, agriculture and many others. Michigan  agriculture, which produces more than 300 commodities on a commercial basis, including tart cherries, blueberries, dry beans, floriculture products and cucumbers for pickles, depends on workers 70% of whom were born outside the U.S. Overall, the food and agriculture industry contributes $104.7 billion annually to the state’s economy and employes 805,000 people, a figure that represents about 17% of the state’s employment.

Acting on Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda also undermines the state’s efforts to address its shrinking population problem and tarnishes its reputation as a state that is welcoming to immigrants. The state is projected to continue to lose population through 2050. To mediate population decline, Michigan has sought to grow the population with innovative programs that make the state more welcoming to immigrants and refugees. As a result, Michigan’s immigrant population grew by more than 87,000 Michigan residents over the past decade, accounting for 57% of the state’s population growth.

Of the immigrant population, the portion unauthorized to reside in the U.S. is the most controversial. As of mid-2022, there were 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., accounting for 24% of all immigrants residing in the nation. Like many documented immigrants, these people often fill unwanted jobs in key industries at low pay. Their contribution to taxes in 2022 was estimated at $96.7 billion.

Incidentally, the aforementioned costs to the economy of deporting immigrants do not reflect the costs of deporting them. A recent study estimates that if a one-time mass deportation operation of the roughly 11 million people who in 2022 lacked permanent legal status and faced possible removal were deported, it would cost the American taxpayer at least $315 billion.

Michigan is home to 103,000 unauthorized immigrants, or around 1% of all the undocumented immigrants in the country. Most (58%) have resided in the state for more than 10 years. Nearly half (46%) were female and over a quarter (27%) were born in Mexico. These residents account for 15% of all immigrants in the state. In agriculture, where 70% of the workers are foreign born, 40% are considered undocumented. Statewide, in 2022, these workers earned $3 billion and paid $368 million in state and federal taxes in 2022.

The removal of these workers from Michigan will have a serious impact on its economy. A 2019 study found that if 10% of undocumented immigrant left, the state would lose $463.9 million in GDP, $9 million in federal taxes and $5.4 million in state and local taxes. Production in critical labor-intensive industries reliant on undocumented workers, such as agriculture, construction, and hospitality would be gravely impacted.  

The state’s response

Fortunately, despite the right-wing media, many Michiganders have been able to decouple the border security issue from the deportation issue and do not see deportations as the answer to border security. But what is the state doing in response to Trump’s deportation plans? What is it doing to protect the hundreds of immigrant families residing on Michigan soil?

While Michigan remains friendly to immigrants, the state could be a better example of a louder voice in defense of both its immigrant residents and its own economic interests. That said, there is growing evidence of this as communities and individuals across the state pushing back against Trump’s unprecedented assault on the immigrant community.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, for example, has recognized the impact of mass deportation on children and families and the need to be empathetic. She has directed the State Police to follow the law and treat people with dignity. Michigan State University police has also stated that it will not help ICE agents unless they have a valid criminal warrant from the court.

The Michigan Catholic Conference recently composed a pastoral note to migrants expressing support regardless of their legal status. The bishops also criticized the hateful rhetoric aimed at them.

Also, this year, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael F. Rice issued a memorandum to local and intermediate school district superintendents on the responsibility to educate children regardless of citizenship and immigration status. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also has responded in defense of federal funds, the right of immigrant children to education, and the protection of Birth right citizenship. 

In our view, the case in defense of immigrants from unlawful deportations and harsh treatment is clear.  Considering Michigan’s economic interests, it behooves state and local governments to protect the immigrant by limiting unlawful federal immigration enforcement and not passing harsher immigration laws. For our safety and theirs, legislation allowing unauthorized residents to have a Michigan driver’s license should also be passed. As Michiganders we stand to prosper from having state and local governments, as well as other organizations, take immediate protective actions in defense of our immigrant communities. Beyond standing up for our economic interests, it is also the morally right thing to do.

René P. Rosenbaum, who has lived in Saint Johns, Michigan, since 1991, is a Michigan State University associate professor emeritus in the School of Planning, Design and Construction as well as MSU Extension. He holds a Ph.D. in economics.

Santiago Rios is an attorney and former state assistant attorney general who lives in Lansing and is active in many community service projects.