Make the Road New York
navigation
whoweare howwework whatwedo press participate

May 1, 2011

New Yorkers riled up over Bloomie's idea to send immigrants to Detroit

By  Erik Ortiz / AM New York


Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s suggestion to allow new immigrants into America — just as long as they help repopulate a blighted Detroit — was met with contempt Sunday in Hizzoner’s home city and beyond.

“It’s against human rights,” said Michelle Risa, 60, of Murray Hill. “He should move to Detroit if he’s suggesting a solution. Would he like to be told where to go?”

Bloomberg, appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” to talk about the nation’s economy, suggested that declining industrial cities such as Detroit could be rebuilt with the help of immigrants.

“If I were the federal government, assuming you could wave a magic wand and pull everybody together, you pass a law letting immigrants come in as long as they agreed to go to Detroit and live there for five or ten years,” Bloomberg said. “Start businesses, take jobs, whatever.”

The suggestion by the immigration-friendly mayor left many baffled.

“Sending people there isn’t going to create jobs,” added Adrian Rubio, 39, of midtown. “People are leaving because there are no jobs there.”

“It may be great for Detroit because it could revive its population, but it’s ludicrous,” said Carol Swain, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University who believes that the country should worry about enforcing immigration laws instead. “We have 11 to 18 million undocumented persons that are competing with American citizens for jobs, for health care, for education, for a decent standard of living.”

A spokeswoman for Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said Sunday that the Motor City could use some revving up and is open to helpful ideas, especially after it lost an astounding 25 percent of its population between 2000 and 2010.

“Again, ideas are just that — there has to be a reality component to them to make sure they can really work,” said spokeswoman Karen Dumas.

Andrew Friedman, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, a Brooklyn-based immigrant advocacy group, said Bloomberg is “spot on” by suggesting that immigrants change a city’s landscape for the better.

“The reality is that New York would look a lot like Detroit without the immigrant spirit that is here,” Friedman said.


For the original article, please click here.


More on: Expanding Civil Rights 

DonateNow


Victory for Immigrant Families: Preventing Unjust Deportations in NYC

On March 18, 2013, Mayor Bloomberg signed new legislation to stop federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using NYC’s criminal justice system to deport thousands of New Yorkers.

Building on legislation we helped to win just over a year ago, Local Laws 21 and 22 prohibit not only the Department of Correction but now also the NYPD from spending millions of city taxpayer dollars to hold individuals on behalf of ICE agents for detention and deportation. Each year, thousands of New York families will stay together who would otherwise have been torn apart by overly aggressive, indiscriminate immigration enforcement.

At a moment when the country is debating immigration reform, with these laws, New York City sends a clear message to Washington that tearing apart thousands of immigrant families is bad policy.

With your support, we look forward to winning national reform that keeps families together. We thank our partners at the Center for Popular Democracy, the Cardozo Immigration Justice Clinic and the bills’ sponsors, NYC Council Speaker Quinn and Council Member Mark-Viverito, for their courageous leadership.


No Events at this time