Immigration Can Help the Rustbelt Economy

Terry Parris writes for Metromode:

Here in Southeast Michigan a study, called Global Detroit, is underway to address the issue of how immigrants can help the local economy. It has brought together 25 regional leaders to discuss, research, develop, and pursue specific strategies to make this area more attractive and welcoming to immigrants. Steve Tobocman, former state rep for Southwest Detroit and managing partner of New Solutions Group, LLC, is overseeing the project funded by the New Economy Initiative, the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Skillman Foundation.

“To have a strong Detroit, a strong Southeast Michigan, immigrants are a necessary component,” Tobocman says. “We need a welcome mat for these citizens, housing services, and employer services. We’re thinking on what some of these out-of-the-box strategies could be for immigration growth.”

Global Detroit began in March of this year and Tobocman says they’ve already discussed dozens upon dozens of strategies, some of which have already been implemented in other states. Ideas like welcoming centers for new Michiganders, internship programs to retain foreign students after college graduation, or a regional center that pools foreign investment (of $500k or more) for local development — which would create American jobs — in return for a visa (called the EB-5). Click here for the full story.

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