Mich. governor seeks 50,000 work visas over 5 years to entice immigrants to bankrupt Detroit

 

 

January 23, 2014

 

By DAVID EGGERT

 

 

 

Read More: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle...241623151.html

 

Quote:

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder asked the federal government Thursday to set aside thousands of work visas for bankrupt Detroit, a bid to revive the decaying city by attracting talented immigrants who are willing to move there and stay for five years.

 

- The Republican governor has routinely touted immigration as a powerful potential force for growing Detroit's economy, saying immigrant entrepreneurs start many small businesses and file patents at twice the rate of U.S.-born citizens. --- "Let's send a message to the entire world: Detroit, Michigan, is open to the world," Snyder said at a news conference. The proposal involves EB-2 visas, which are offered every year to legal immigrants who have advanced degrees or show exceptional ability in certain fields...

That isn't surprising. Throughout history, most immigrants arriving in Cleveland stopped in an East Coast port city first. We have to do a better job of telling our story to the immigrants of today: big-city amenities, small-town costs of living.

 

I've suspected for some time that one of the reasons midwestern and western cities have a stronger tendency to sprawl than their east coast counterparts is our immigrants had ancestors who relocated at least once. 

Mayor Jackson is giving his State of The City Speech today at the City Club while his office is tweeting out highlights of his speech, including this.....

 

City of Cleveland ‏@CityofCleveland  20m

"Economic development, community benefits, and quality of service will stop population decline and grow our neighborhoods" #SOCLE

 

City of Cleveland ‏@CityofCleveland  15m

Broad sense of immigration approach needed. Provide an environment for immigrants to choose Cleveland. A city of choice #SOCLE

City of Cleveland ‏@CityofCleveland: 1+1=2

 

City of Cleveland ‏@CityofCleveland: the earth is round

 

City of Cleveland ‏@CityofCleveland: Frank Jackson is my name

 

City of Cleveland ‏@CityofCleveland: There is a lake to the north of us 

More highlights to come. :roll:

 

Snide jokes aside, I guess the acceptance of objective facts about urban development is a starting point but still a little discouraging when the mere statement of those facts are considered "highlights" of the speech.

^^ Without seeing the full context of his speech yet, that tweet would seem to indicate a change in direction for Jackson. I believe when asked about immigration previously he always said he preferred to assist those who are already living here.

Welcome to the forum, North87.

Thank you, I'm not trying to add more token cynicism to this discussion and I wasn't at the City Club so I cannot comment on any subsequent discussion of immigration strategies but to me the comment at best does what FJ usually does, it states the reality, we (meaning the city) can build a community that is amenable to many immigrants (which basically means continuing to develop the NEO economy AKA stay the course), but actual direct action on the issue is not feasible (because there is not much FJ can do directly on the issue).

 

Immigration law is not my speciality but there is going to need to be federal (where the immigration landscape may or may not dramatically shift), state, and local coordination to have any meaningful programs to attract large amounts of immigrants to Cleveland (see Michigan).

 

So it's good to hear that FJ is now (possibly) moving on this issue but the ability to do so goes way far above his office. 

 

I swear to god I meant to avoid being a nay-sayer when I started this post. 

"Immigration is fine and dandy, but we gotta first take care ah our own" was the message Jackson had said....(not exact quote)

 

North87--there is PLENTY the mayor could do to make this city immigrant-friendly. There's far more to the topic than just the INS.

Agreed I never said there weren't things that the mayor can do to make the city more immigrant friendly (although some of that involves making the city more friendly for people in general AKA general economic development).  I was more pointing out that a real program for immigration involves many different working parts, but ultimately FJ and the city are constrained by federal policy and state cooperation two things that FJ can't really control, which is why I am not surprised by FJ's tepid support for "doing something" to bring encourage more people who immigrate to this country to choose Cleveland.

 

You can build an immigrant welcome center downtown, you can build relationships with sister cities abroad (although why would a foreign city want to start a relationship with you when your end goal is to poach high-value residents), you can encourage Case, CSU, KSU, Akron and other area schools to bring more exchange students over in hopes of someday getting visas but in the end if you want immigrants, you need visas.  To get visas you need jobs for the people you are giving visas (which is something that FJ can control through growing the economy and attracting employers) and you need the federal government to give you the visas, something FJ doesn't control.

 

That was all.  I'm not poo-pooing the sentiment/idea, anybody with strong skills should be welcomed this region wholeheartedly, whether they are from Columbus, California, or Estonia.  Personally, I think FJ has a passive approach because he fears the results won't justify the effort given the uncontrollable nature of a large-scale immigration program.

Job growth takes care of Clevelanders and attracts immigration.  It should not be one at the expense of the other.  Economic growth is the key.

If anyone has read or has access to a book called "Rust Belt Chic", check out the piece by Huda Al-Marashi, an Iraqi expatriate.  Very good depiction of how the Middle Eastern community welcomes and assimilates new people.

If anyone has read or has access to a book called "Rust Belt Chic", check out the piece by Huda Al-Marashi, an Iraqi expatriate.  Very good depiction of how the Middle Eastern community welcomes and assimilates new people.

 

See the article posted at: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,28847.0.html

 

BTW, the Ukranian crisis could mean a jump in Ukranian ex-pats relocating to Cleveland. They tend to go where they have family and friends to support them, and there's already a sizable Ukrainan population here. I hope we're ready for them.

i wonder what using korea's joense or chonsei rental system would do for cle? it traditionally at least encourages savings, bypasses banks, makes renters partners in the housing and gives small business owners $$ infusions. it would certainly attract koreans at least:

 

http://news.msn.com/world/it-takes-dollar290000-in-cash-to-rent-an-apartment-in-seoul

 

Maps reveal how immigration transformed Boston's neighborhoods

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2014/03/maps-immigration-boston/

for one thing, immigrants would come up with interesting boutique motels!

 

 

standout cle immigration news for 2012-13 via ssp:

 

 

From the census itself.

 

Top 5 cities for intl migration by number 2012-2013 (2010-2013 numbers are similar in ranking)

 

NYC - 128,042

Miami - 52,706

LA - 49,798

DC - 36,871

Houston - 25,504

 

 

Top 5 by intl migration as a % of total population change (greater than a 2,500 intl migration) - all had negative population change for the year.

 

Cleveland - 26,414%

Pittsburgh - 2,277%

Hartford - 732%

Detroit - 482%

Rochester - 287%

 

The inverse of the above, Metros with the smallest share of total change being international (minimum 2,500 of international migrants)

 

San Antonio - 8%

Denver - 10%

Austin - 11%

Nashville - 11%

Phoenix - 12%

 

The 5 metro's with negative international migration

 

Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ Metro Area

Yakima, WA Metro Area

Odessa, TX Metro Area

El Centro, CA Metro Area

Las Cruces, NM Metro Area

 

Afghan, Iraq war interpreters find new home in Cleveland

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – “Rocky” narrowly escaped a suicide bomber and a blast of friendly fire. “Nadia” was careful never to tell strangers where she lived for fear of betrayal. “Cipher” had a $100,000 bounty on his head.

 

They once lived in a world of sudden death, where war was their workplace and words were their weapons.

 

Now, they face an environment that isn’t as deadly, but in some ways nearly as daunting – Northeast Ohio.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/04/afghhan_iraq_interpreters_find.html

 

Robert L. Smith ‏@rlsmithpd  6m

Asked his opinion of immigrants, CLE Mayor Frank Jackson has trouble answering. Again:

 

 

U.S. cities that are attracting the most immigrants - @AtlanticCities

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/politics/2014/04/2-very-different-migrations-driving-growth-us-cities/8873/ … pic.twitter.com/PjPCkBXvlM

 

 

EDIT:

 

Many cities, including those with growing populations, are using foreign immigrants to make up for domestic outmigration losses.....

 

I'm very curious if there's any local outreach from the NEO Ukrainian community with the conflict in eastern Ukraine/Crimea.

 

Is Global Cleveland keeping an eye on the situation if there are any peoples looking to relocate?

I'm very curious if there's any local outreach from the NEO Ukrainian community with the conflict in eastern Ukraine/Crimea.

 

Is Global Cleveland keeping an eye on the situation if there are any peoples looking to relocate?

 

I have a friend in Ukraine who is willing to relocate herself, her toddler son and her mother to America if the bombs start falling. But I keep urging her not to wait until then or it will be much more difficult to enter Poland, or Hungary or Romania. They may close the border to avoid a humanitarian crisis in their own countries. And the way things are sounding today, she may already be too late. Right now she seems more worried about ending up working as a dishwasher in America then getting killed by an errant bomb in Ukraine.

Global moms help international families make a smooth move to Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio--Olga Huerta drove her 8-year-old daughter to school on her first day of third grade, then went home and paced the apartment.

 

The family had just moved to the Shaker Heights School District from Barcelona, Spain. The children spoke very little English. Their parents had very little advice. Mom had given Joana a note that read in English, "Can I go to the bathroom?"

 

When she picked up her daughter after school, Olga Huerta took a breath and asked, "How was it?"

 

"Oh, fine," Joana replied.

 

Mom started crying. "And I never cry."

 

Moving the family to a new city in a new country can be a rewarding adventure, certainly. But it's also a stressful, often bewildering experience, Olga Huerta can attest.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/05/global_moms_help_international.html#incart_m-rpt-2

Very very cool!

 

Nepali teen launches newspaper to guide his community in the Cleveland tradition

 

 

By Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer

on July 24, 2014 at 1:00 PM, updated July 24, 2014 at 2:31 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio--

 

One of the world's little known refugee odysseys brought the Dahals to Cleveland.

 

Their parents were farmers in Bhutan, a remote Buddhist kingdom suspicious of its Hindu minority. Expelled from home in bloody pogroms 22 years ago, the family ended up with tens of thousands of other Bhutanese of Nepali descent in refugee camps in nearby Nepal.

 

Both Hari and Ganga were born and raised in the camp, a bamboo city of some 50,000 people. The first time they turned a faucet in a house and saw water run was in Cleveland.

 

In recent years, resettlement agencies have guided Nepali-speaking Bhutanese families to homes in Akron, Cleveland Heights, Lakewood and on Cleveland's west side, where they are making an impression in city schools.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/07/in_the_cleveland_tradition_nep.html#comments

 

I'm seeing a lot more colorfully dressed women like these in Lakewood. Does this look like apparel worn by Bhutanese? EDIT: I just saw Smith's post-article note that a Nepali grocer has opened on Detroit Avenue next to The Shore restaurant, a block from where I took the picture below on Cove Avenue....

 

On immigration, Cleveland has a lack of global perspective

Blog Entry: August 17, 2014 4:30 AM    |    Author: JOHN CAMPANELLI

 

Back in 2008, then-new Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter set a goal to increase his city's population by 75,000.

 

Like Cleveland, Philly saw its population peak in 1950 ... and then hemorrhage for decades afterward.

 

When he dug into the data, Nutter noticed that while his city was losing net population, it was gaining foreign-born residents, especially younger ones.

 

Nutter made it one of his goals to open the City of Brotherly Love to immigrants. He signed an order requiring all city departments to have a “language access” plan for helping residents who spoke limited English. He formed a task force to come up with ways to help immigrants settle into the city. And he created an immigration and multi-cultural affairs office within City Hall.

 

In general, the city whose fans gained infamy for booing and throwing snowballs at Santa Claus worked to warmly welcome new Americans.

 

The results? In 2011, Philly reported its first population growth in 60 years. In 2013, the city was up about 105,000 in total population, shattering Nutter's initial goal.

 

Philadelphia's efforts are hardly unique. Since 2010 alone, more than 30 cities and states have launched immigrant-welcoming initiatives. They include Detroit, Cincinnati and Dayton.

 

Cleveland is not one of them.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140817/BLOGS08/308179988/on-immigration-cleveland-has-a-lack-of-global-perspective

Here is link to Richie Piiparinen's prezi presentation titled "Growing Pains."  I didn't see him present it but the content on the slides suggests it focuses on Cleveland's continuing economic restructuring and the importance of in-migration to the region.  Overall, good stuff.

 

http://prezi.com/scqsb7p9kkhu/growing-pains/

 

*This was taken from his twitter.

Here is link to Richie Piiparinen's prezi presentation titled "Growing Pains."  I didn't see him present it but the content on the slides suggests it focuses on Cleveland's continuing economic restructuring and the importance of in-migration to the region.  Overall, good stuff.

 

http://prezi.com/scqsb7p9kkhu/growing-pains/

 

*This was taken from his twitter.

 

Great post!

One of the Cleveland Clinic's top docs reminds us that, w/o immigrants, we don't have enough top docs http://t.co/P4GbMw8eD2

BELT ‏@belt_magazine  19m

"In apartments scattered all over Cleveland’s West Side, we heard harrowing stories brought from Iraq..." http://beltmag.com/clevelands-little-iraq/ …

i tend to complain about the lack of enough immigration around ne ohio, but then wonderful stuff like this lorain el centro block party photo spread reminds me what it really is:

 

http://media.morningjournal.com/2014/09/29/photos-el-centro-block-party-sept-26-2014/#1

^yeah, there's immigration going on. This year my high school mounted a production of "In The Heights," which would have looked pretty foolish without a large population of Latino students to draw from. Don't know if Lin-Manuel Miranda heard about it. Maybe it was for the best he didn't-kidding!!

yeah i know, but i didnt say that there isnt immigration going on, its just that it isnt enough. with minimal efforts, it could and should be a lot more. for example, i would think even more iraq and syria refugees could feel sorta right at home in cle or at least it would be a welcoming setting.

Cleveland hosts Refugee Summit, looks to become choice destination for 'newcomers'

 

By  Leila Atassi, Northeast Ohio Media Group 

on October 30, 2014 at 1:58 PM, updated October 30, 2014 at 2:14 PM

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As political turmoil and civil war escalate in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world, Cleveland is readying itself to become home to international refugees looking for a fresh start in a safe and welcoming community, a panel service providers told members of Cleveland City Council Thursday morning.

 

To kick off the city's first Refugee Summit, which is open to the public and will be held in the City Hall rotunda from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. today, Council invited representatives from a cadre of social service, healthcare and resettlement agencies to describe the challenges that refugees face and the benefits of opening the city's arms to the newcomers.

 

In recent years, refugees have generated more than $12 million in economic activity in the Cleveland area, said Brian Upton, of the nonprofit Building Hope in the City. They have taken 650 labor jobs since 2000, bought nearly 250 houses and represented $2.7 million in state and local tax revenue, he said.

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2014/10/cleveland_hosts_refugee_summit.html#incart_m-rpt-1

^ now that is what i am talkin about, made my day -- bravo!

Welcome to Spainsville! Okay, that's an old joke (let's not be so PC :laugh:) But further evidence why it's the most diverse city in NE Ohio (2nd place in the state after Springdale, but whoever heard of them? Alright, I know it's outside of Cincinnati :roll:)

 

Latino businesses in Painesville flourish, but marketing and branding has yet to promote area as a cultural district

 

http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20141102/latino-businesses-in-painesville-flourish-but-marketing-and-branding-has-yet-to-promote-area-as-a-cultural-district

Hello? Cleveland??

 

@GOVERNING: Balitmore's attempts to attract immigrants have helped increase its population for the first time in decades http://t.co/q7MgX1QRD6

We should broaden this to include more than just Cleveland proper, though I understand we have a regional interest in seeing the population of the largest city in the area stabilize.  But my wife and sister-in-law are Indian, and they head up from Akron to the Cleveland area reasonably frequently, even if they seldom go to Cleveland itself: Parma, Independence, and many other south/southwestern Cleveland suburbs have strong immigrant (and first-generation) presences from South Asia, and I strongly suspect that more would come here if we'd expand the H1-B visa program (and make it easier to transition from that to a green card).  Another former coworker of mine is dating a Lithuanian, and apparently there are a solid number of them here, too (particularly compared to how small their original home country is), even if, like the South Asians, maybe not that many live in Cleveland proper.

 

I'm fine with the refugee summit, since goodness knows we have enough residential space to handle vast numbers of newcomers even without building a single new home.  However, many immigrants do not come here as refugees and can offer strong white-collar skills and entrepreneurialism almost immediately.

^India is now the most common country of origin among Cleveland area immigrants, in fact (peer the most recent 3-year ACS): http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B05006&prodType=table

We should broaden this to include more than just Cleveland proper, though I understand we have a regional interest in seeing the population of the largest city in the area stabilize.

 

I hear ya. But the article was about Baltimore stopping and reversing a decades-long slide. Cleveland and Baltimore have a lot in common for Midwest vs. East Coast cities, including significant industrial and housing decay with the resultant population loss. If Cleveland wants to finally reverse it's loss, it must embrace immigrants which means some of the old ethnic groups will have to risk their hold on political power here.

^^ Strap, what filters did you use?  That link doesn't load whatever Cleveland-area filters you used.

^Hmm, try this: http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/12_3YR/B05006/310M100US17460

 

It's table B05006 (PLACE OF BIRTH FOR THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES) and I looked at the most recent 3-year ACS (for a lower margin of error) for the Cleveland MSA.

 

Not sure why the 2011-2013 3-year estimate isn't available yet.

 

Ah, here is the more recent 2011-2013 3-year ACS estimate: http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_3YR/B05006/310M200US17460

^India is now the most common country of origin among Cleveland area immigrants, in fact (peer the most recent 3-year ACS): http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_3YR_B05006&prodType=table

 

Completely unsurprising since we're a medical hotbed and have a large Sikh community as well, Russian immigration has tapered (perhaps in part to our strong Ukrainian community) and our Hispanic community is largely Puerto Rican.

Completely unsurprising since we're a medical hotbed and have a large Sikh community as well, Russian immigration has tapered (perhaps in part to our strong Ukrainian community) and our Hispanic community is largely Puerto Rican.

 

All emigration from Russia diminished to almost nothing by 2005-12 but has spiked since. So if they're coming here, we should see some data soon since there's usually a lag in data collection and reporting....

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-brain-drain-putin-ukraine-crimea-2014-12

I actually just yesterday saw a stat for how much Russian emigration (i.e., from Russia itself, irrespective of destination) has spiked since Putin came back to power, taking back over from Medvedev.  It would definitely be interesting to see how much of that exodus is to America overall, as well as to the Cleveland area specifically.

I actually just yesterday saw a stat for how much Russian emigration (i.e., from Russia itself, irrespective of destination) has spiked since Putin came back to power, taking back over from Medvedev.  It would definitely be interesting to see how much of that exodus is to America overall, as well as to the Cleveland area specifically.

 

It was in the Business Insider article I posted yesterday in the Ukraine-Russia conflict thread, and which I reposted above.

Hah!  It was indeed the same article, though I think I came to it from a different route than here.  But funny anyway.  (And yes, I had total link fatigue and didn't click through when you posted it above, or I'd have seen that before.)

I actually just yesterday saw a stat for how much Russian emigration (i.e., from Russia itself, irrespective of destination) has spiked since Putin came back to power, taking back over from Medvedev.  It would definitely be interesting to see how much of that exodus is to America overall, as well as to the Cleveland area specifically.

 

The current antipathy with Ukraine could be discouraging them from coming here, much like Serbian emigration to Cleveland has historically been deterred by our large Croatian community.  The Lithuanians and Poles may have an impact as well.

The current antipathy with Ukraine could be discouraging them from coming here, much like Serbian emigration to Cleveland has historically been deterred by our large Croatian community.  The Lithuanians and Poles may have an impact as well.

 

Maybe. But one of the key factors of immigration is the immigrant's ability to either have unique/in-demand work skills or come into a support structure already in place. In the latter case, if someone already has family or friends here and they are willing to sponsor the prospective immigrant, then their chances of getting a green card are much greater.

 

For example, I dated a woman who emigrated from Russia to the USA 12 years ago. When I discovered she strongly supported Putin and naively said "Russia only goes to war to defend itself" -- I broke off our relationship. But even though she did not agree with the USA's policies toward Russia regarding Ukraine, the quality of life here in the USA is so much higher than it is in Russia that she would never go back.

The current antipathy with Ukraine could be discouraging them from coming here, much like Serbian emigration to Cleveland has historically been deterred by our large Croatian community.  The Lithuanians and Poles may have an impact as well.

 

Maybe. But one of the key factors of immigration is the immigrant's ability to either have unique/in-demand work skills or come into a support structure already in place. In the latter case, if someone already has family or friends here and they are willing to sponsor the prospective immigrant, then their chances of getting a green card are much greater.

 

For example, I dated a woman who emigrated from Russia to the USA 12 years ago. When I discovered she strongly supported Putin and naively said "Russia only goes to war to defend itself" -- I broke off our relationship. But even though she did not agree with the USA's policies toward Russia regarding Ukraine, the quality of life here in the USA is so much higher than it is in Russia that she would never go back.

 

I’m referring more to the NE Ohio area.  It does seem like one ethnic group will avoid areas where rivals are predominant, all other things being equal.

You say that, but I see at least a moderate mix of OSU and Michigan fans every time I go to Toledo ...