Rules for refugee settlement in Detroit area relaxed

The U.S. State Department has softened rules implemented a couple years ago out of concern that too many refugees from the Middle East were settling in the Detroit area and possibly exacerbating unemployment in the state. The new rules will allow more such refugees to come to the area, which already has a very large Arab population. The Associated Press reports:

An influx of Iraqi refugees have come to the area in recent years, many of whom were attracted to the Detroit area because of its large Middle Eastern population. But authorities said two years ago only those with close relatives could resettle there, in part out of fear that they would be unable to find work.

Now, the State Department says anyone with family and friends can come to the area, Lawrence Bartlett, the department’s deputy director of refugee admissions, told The Associated Press.

Most refugees with immediate family had been resettled and there was room to accept more, Bartlett said. He said the decision was made after consulting with the state refugee services office, resettlement agencies and other community leaders.

“The (refugee assistance) agencies assured us they were able to provide the necessary supporting services to help with integration,” Bartlett said Tuesday. “A couple of years ago, they made it clear to us they were stretched.”

As Eartha Melzer noted in an article last week, a study commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce found that immigration drives economic growth in Michigan. More than 15 percent of all new businesses in the state between 1996 and 2007 were started by immigrants, making them three times as likely to start a new business than non-immigrants.