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Rising Voices Letter to Michigan House of Representatives Opposing House Resolution 19

  • Writer: Rising Voices
    Rising Voices
  • Feb 13
  • 3 min read

Dear Members of the Michigan House of Representatives, 

On behalf of Rising Voices, an advocacy organization dedicated to organizing and developing the leadership of Asian American women, young people, and families in Michigan, we write to express our strong opposition to House Resolution 19. This resolution is an unnecessary and harmful overreach that undermines public safety, creates legal and financial burdens for Michigan municipalities, and sends a dangerous message of division and exclusion.

HR 19 does not solve any real issues—it only creates fear, chaos, and bureaucratic red tape that could delay or block critical funding from reaching local communities in need. We strongly oppose HR 19 for the following reasons:


1. A Costly Burden on Michigan Taxpayers

Forcing Michigan municipalities to take on federal immigration enforcement responsibilities drains local resources away from essential public services and law enforcement duties. Taxpayers already contribute to federal immigration enforcement through their federal taxes; requiring local governments to shoulder these responsibilities is an unnecessary and unfunded mandate.


2. Increased Legal Liability and Constitutional Violations

This resolution pressures municipalities to honor ICE detainer requests, which courts have ruled may lead to violations of constitutional rights. Local law enforcement, lacking proper training in immigration law, risks engaging in racial profiling, violating the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. Municipalities may also face costly lawsuits for wrongful detention and civil rights violations, further burdening taxpayers.


3. Undermining Public Safety and Trust

Compelling municipalities to enforce federal immigration law will erode trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement. When people fear that interactions with police could lead to detention or deportation, they are far less likely to report crimes, cooperate as witnesses, or seek protection from violence. This resolution would make all Michiganders less safe by discouraging community engagement with law enforcement.


4. Harmful to Michigan’s Reputation and Economy

HR 19 sends a chilling message that Michigan is unwelcoming to immigrants, at a time when our state needs to attract and retain a strong, diverse workforce. The resolution serves only to divide our communities rather than strengthen them.

A recent report, Contributions of New Americans in Michigan, released by the American Immigration Council in partnership with the Michigan Global Talent Coalition, underscores the crucial role immigrants play in Michigan’s economy and population growth:

  • Over the past decade, Michigan’s immigrant population grew by more than 87,000 people, accounting for 57.7 percent of the state’s total population growth. Without immigration, Michigan would have had a decline in population over the last two decades. 

  • Immigrants contributed $67.8 billion to Michigan’s GDP in 2022, making up 9.9 percent of the state's total economic output.

  • In 2022 alone, immigrants in Michigan held $23.1 billion in spending power, paid $5.5 billion in federal taxes, and contributed $2.6 billion in state and local taxes.

  • Immigrants were 24.1 percent more likely to be of working age than their U.S.-born counterparts, allowing them to actively contribute to Michigan’s workforce as taxpayers, entrepreneurs, and consumers.

Rather than discouraging municipalities from enacting policies that support immigrant communities, Michigan should recognize the economic and social contributions of immigrants as a vital part of the state’s future.


5. Immigration Enforcement is a Federal Responsibility

The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the federal government from compelling state or local agencies to act as immigration officers. Michigan municipalities should not be forced into this role. Local governments must focus on their core responsibilities—protecting and serving their communities—not taking on federal immigration duties that fall outside their jurisdiction.

For these reasons, Rising Voices urges you to reject House Resolution 19. This resolution is a costly, divisive, and ineffective measure that does nothing to improve the well-being of Michiganders. Instead of creating unnecessary barriers, Michigan should focus on policies that foster economic growth, public safety, and inclusivity for all residents.


Head to Rising Voices Call To Action and tell our House Representatives to vote NO


Rising Voices, a project of the Center for Empowered Politics, is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that seeks to increase the civic participation of Asian Americans in Michigan by developing the leadership, organizing, and power-building capacity of Asian American women, youth and communities. risingvoicesaaf.org 

 
 
 

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Rising Voices is fiscally sponsored by the Center for Empowered Politics, a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization; Rising Voices Fund is sponsored by the Center for Empowered Politics Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Rising Voices is based in stolen occupied territories called Waawiiyaataanong, named by the Anishinaabeg and includes the Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe (Chippewa), Odawa (Ottawa), and Bodewatomi (Potawatomi) peoples. We acknowledge that Asian American immigration is part of the history of settler colonialism and  that all Indigenous peoples have and continue to be forcibly removed from their homelands. Rising Voices stands in solidarity with Black and Indigenous communities who continue to be systemically excluded and oppressed through the ongoing damaging effects of settler colonialism, genocide, and myths of white supremacy.

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