Let’s support immigrants, workers in Midway

Chad Kulas

In August, my Monitor article was on immigration. It felt like a good time to highlight the impacts made by our immigrant communities as the annual Little Africa Fest had just taken place. While I usually don’t like to repeat topics so close together, I felt compelled to once again talk about the importance of immigrants as they have unjustly been under attack.
Like many, my heart sunk on Nov. 18 to the news ICE agents were raiding a business in the Midway. Our fear was happening and the raids had come to our community. The Midway Chamber put out the following statement: The Midway Chamber of Commerce believes immigrants are essential to our communities and we stand with employees, employers, and neighbors as they confront unreasonably aggressive enforcement tactics of federal immigration enforcement agencies. We urge Midway business owners to educate themselves and their employees about their rights and stand ready to assist in that effort. We call on elected officials to enact a national immigration policy that unites rather than divides and ask officials to treat people with respect and dignity.
The Midway Chamber, like many other chambers of commerce and businesses, understand the need for workers and entrepreneurs. Businesses need stability, workers, and a good immigration system reflective of market needs. The average American has probably not considered their own reliance on immigrants in the products and services they use on a daily basis.
As I write this, I can hear some readers screaming “why can’t they just come here legally?” To me, this just underscores the need for immigration reform as the reality is many of our immigrants are either not eligible for a legal entry, or they come on a temporary work visa and stay longer. And like any of us, they come here to give themselves and their families a chance for a better life.
Many also do not know the history of immigration and wrongfully assume their families came here legally. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the federal government “did virtually nothing to restrict immigration” until the 1870s. It wasn’t until the 1920s that immigration from non-Asian countries was significantly restricted. In other words, most ancestors of today’s white Americans did not arrive here through a legal process; they arrived and eventually became a U.S. citizen.
An immigrant group that mostly are here legally: the Somali community. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 58% of the Somalis in Minnesota were born in the U.S. Of the foreign-born Somalis in Minnesota, 87% are naturalized U.S. citizens. Yet the Somali community has been under pressure by the federal government. Have there been cases of fraud lately? Yes, though the reality is this reflects a very small percentage of Somali people in Minnesota. Should those found guilty of fraud be prosecuted? Absolutely. Also true is that many people benefit from the good done by other nonprofits who are not committing fraud.
This is, of course, not the first moment of fraud in our country, either. A quick internet search of “famous fraud cases in U.S. history” will remind you of news stories of people and companies like Bernie Madoff, Elizabeth Holmes and Enron. Yet at the time, I do not recall anyone suggesting something should be done about those white Americans committing so much fraud. Nor should there have been – again, a very small percentage of that demographic.
In both cases of discrimination –against the Latino and Somali communities – it seems the people supportive of the raids do not personally know others from those communities. What a shame, because if they did their lives would be more enriched. They might consider all the immigrants (and descendants of immigrants) who are responsible for the food they eat, their ride to the airport, and so much more. They might remember this is a country founded on immigrants, to act as a melting pot.
One of my hopes for America in 2026 is more empathy. I also hope for a better understanding of our immigration laws and for policies that unite us rather than divide. For now, let us show our support for our immigrant friends and neighbors and speak out against unjust, inhumane policies.