August 13, 2017. This article discusses how immigrants are revitalizing the city of Detroit by taking advantage of the friendly immigrant environment and cheaper housing and commercial spaces. Even though native-born residents have fled, immigrants continued to reside here and open businesses that hire local residents and makie the neighborhoods safer. The article discusses how immigrants are Detroit’s biggest hope to reverse population decline. The article also discusses the arguments that immigrant populations may be having a negative affect on native-born residents.
Through the 2008 recession and recovery, native-born residents fled. But immigrants kept coming, starting new businesses, hiring local residents and making their neighborhoods a safer place for children.
According to Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA) and Fiscal Policy Institute, more than one-third of Detroit-area “Main Street” business owners were immigrants as of 2013.
Now an American citizen, López, a father of four, says he accomplished the American Dream by creating something that will outlive him and provide for the community long after he has passed.
What Detroit still needs, he says, is more people to call it home.
“That’s happening little by little,” Lopez says. “The greatest changes won’t happen overnight.”
“They happen slowly, and that’s part of believing in oneself, believing in Detroit,” he said.
Here is the link to VOA.