Michigan Gov Rick Snyder announced a plan today to ask the Obama administration to set aside thousands of work visas to entice talented immigrants to live and work in bankrupt Detroit.
The Republican governor said he is seeking 50,000 work visas solely for the city over five years. The type of visas involved are not currently allocated by region or state, but rather go to legal immigrants who have advanced degrees or show exceptional ability in certain fields.
Under the governor's unique proposal, one-quarter of the nation's 40,000 annual EB-2 visas would be designated for such immigrants willing to live and work for five years in Detroit a city amid the largest municipal bankruptcy in US history whose neighbourhoods have been hollowed out by a long population decline.
"Let's send a message to the entire world: Detroit, Michigan, is open to the world," Snyder said during his news conference, which came a day after he backed plans to commit as much as $350 million in state funds to help shore up Detroit pension funds and prevent the sale of valuable city-owned art.
Snyder unveiled the immigration plan at the offices of the IDEAL Group, a family-owned manufacturing and construction company in Detroit whose founder is the grandson of Mexican immigrants. Mayor Mike Duggan, city council members and other community leaders attended.
In an interview yesterday, the governor told The Associated Press that the proposal would require no federal financial bailout.
"This involves working with immigration rules and visa limits," he said. "Here's a non-cash way to significantly accelerate the comeback of Detroit. Why wouldn't this be a great thing?"
Snyder spokeswoman Sara Wurfel said his administration plans to submit the "groundbreaking" request to the federal government this week if possible.
Snyder has routinely touted immigration as an economic driver, citing statistics that immigrant entrepreneurs start many small businesses and file patents at twice the rate of US-born citizens. His office says immigrants created nearly one-third of the high-tech businesses in Michigan in the last decade, third in the nation.
