Rick Snyder

LANSING —  Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s State of the State speech this week included nods to immigrants, keeping up the drumbeat for immigrants as job creators and innovators. Governor Snyder has repeatedly called for preserving high-level science, tech, engineering and math talent in Michigan by enacting immigrant-friendly policies that allow qualified students or entrepreneurs to stay in Michigan on special immigration visas. 

He reminded that crowd that immigrants founded companies such as Meijer and MascoCorp while specifically thanking those in the labor and agricultural industries, especially migrant workers who “help to feed the people of the state.” 

“We need help from our Federal partners to create immigration opportunities for individuals who have advanced degrees or who are entrepreneurs. Having these individuals building businesses in  Michigan would create new jobs for our citizens…We’re going to be working on this with support from Michigan Universities, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, the Operation Engineers Union and the Teamsters…I appreciate all their support and hope others will join us in this effort.”