On today's episode, we sat down with Mara Cecelia Ostfeld, an associate research scientist and the research director at the University of Michigan's Center for Racial Justice at the Ford School of Public Policy.
Mara helped us better recognize the attitudes of Michiganders across the Detroit Metro area relative to immigration. Ostfeld and other researchers focused their survey on Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti. Across those populations, residents were asked, "Do you think it should be easier or harder for foreigners to immigrate to the U.S. legally?"
Responses differentiated across cities, education levels, and proximity to foreign-born residents. Ostfeld noted, "One big thing that we found in this data was that people who lived in areas with a higher proportion of foreign-born residents were more favorable towards allowing more immigration into the U.S. That's consistent with past research where if you have contact with a population you're more likely to be favorable to the population. "
That proximity, as far as Ostfeld is concerned, should be the views that "we might want to pay more attention to. They have more direct experience living around immigrants and have a greater chance of their lives being affected by immigrants. If they're saying that it's generally something they favor, that might be something for us to think about as we consider the impact of these policies."
Then, Michigan Public's own Steve Carmody, in part inspired by Mara Cecelia Ostfeld's study, spoke to residents from other cities and counties including Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott. Abbott desires a President who will reduce the flow of immigrants moving in from the Southern border.
In other areas, like sections of Detroit and Pontiac, some Black Republicans, like Pastor Lorenzo Sewell, maintain that "Young Black men are saying right now that they feel that people who are illegally coming into this country are getting treated better than they are.”
Altogether, the topic of immigration looks to be a key factor in attracting voters in the upcoming election. Former President Trump and Vice President Harris each have a plan for solving what many identify as a problem with immigration. Those solutions tend toward mass deportation on the one hand and the creation of earned citizenship pathways on the other.
For the full episode, look to the link above.
GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE:
- Mara Cecelia Ostfeld, associate research scientist and research director at the Center for Racial Justice at the Ford School of Public Policy at UM
- Steve Carmody, reporter for Michigan Public
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