NEWS
Lansing – In his fourth State of the State address, Gov. Rick Snyder delivered a wide-ranging speech brimming with optimism, peppering in a slew of promises that included connecting young people with jobs and retaining an international work force.
The governor emphasized the need to keep talented people from abroad working in Michigan, pledging to create a new office called the Michigan Office for New Americans to encourage legal immigration to the state.
The initiative could impact more than 7,000 international students at MSU who are here on temporary visas.
“If someone has the opportunity to come to our country legally let’s hold our arms open and say ‘Come to Michigan, this is the place to be,’” Snyder said.
House Minority Leader Tim Greimel, D-Auburn Hills, pointed out that immigration is largely out of the hands of state leaders because it is a federal issue.
In a press conference following Snyder’s speech, he said he doubted creating a state immigration office would make a difference, characterizing it as a public relations ploy.
Whitmer also said Snyder’s encouragement of immigrating to Michigan was not wholehearted, given what she deemed “intolerant” legislation that recently had been passed in the state.
“If you’re really going to say to the world, ‘Michigan’s the place to come,’ you’ve got to support all people,” Whitmer said.
Sam Singh, D-East Lansing, said he liked the idea of taking steps with immigration, but thought the address missed a lot of details.
“When you look at funding cuts to higher education, reinvestment in communities, (Snyder) didn’t even talk about those areas,” Singh said.
