While Michigan might not have a large immigrant population compared to other states, it plays a significant role in welcoming refugees and seasonal workers. Despite the complexities and inconsistencies in federal immigration data, examining Michigan’s historical immigration trends provides valuable insights.
Michigan’s Immigrant Demographics and Trends
Michigan has a relatively small immigrant population, with the U.S. Census Bureau estimating just over 700,000 foreign-born individuals in the state. This figure encompasses refugees, visa holders, naturalized citizens, and undocumented immigrants. Despite its small size, Michigan stands out for its significant intake of refugees, ranking among the top 10 states for refugee arrivals since 2012. In the last fiscal year, Michigan welcomed over 3,600 refugees, marking the highest annual total since 2017.
The challenge of estimating the undocumented immigrant population in Michigan persists. The Migration Policy Institute estimates around 91,000 unauthorized individuals resided in the state between 2015 and 2019. Other indicators, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, suggest Michigan had about 4,430 active DACA recipients last year, a small percentage compared to other states.
Seasonal Workers and Visa Programs
Agricultural Workers (H-2A Visas)
Michigan heavily relies on temporary immigrant workers for its agricultural sector through the H-2A visa program. The number of certified agricultural jobs for H-2A workers in Michigan has more than tripled since 2016, with over 15,000 positions certified annually in recent years. These jobs mostly involve general farm labor, offering an average wage of nearly $19 per hour. However, not all certified positions result in visa issuances, with about 80% leading to actual visas.
Non-Agricultural Workers (H-2B Visas)
The H-2B visa program fills non-degree job vacancies with temporary immigrant workers. In Michigan, landscaping and groundskeeping were the most common H-2B certified jobs during fiscal year 2024. Pay for these roles varies significantly, ranging from $9.61 per hour for amusement park attendants to $55 per hour for carpet installers. Despite a national cap of 66,000 visas, demand has led to repeated increases in this limit, allowing more visas to be issued.
Immigration Enforcement in Michigan
Michigan’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, based in Detroit, handles enforcement across Michigan and Ohio. Despite arresting over 2,000 individuals annually since 2016, these arrests represent just 2% of ICE’s national total. The Detroit office’s contribution to deportation numbers is even smaller, accounting for less than 1% of the national total in recent years.
ICE utilizes four county jails in Michigan—Monroe, Chippewa, St. Clair, and Calhoun—to detain immigrants. These facilities are not exclusively for ICE detainees and function as regular jails. Detained individuals may come from anywhere in the U.S., with ICE not required to detain them near their place of arrest.
In the last fiscal year, Calhoun County Correctional Center reported an average daily population of 124 ICE detainees, with an average stay of over 50 days. While legally obligated to detain certain individuals, the overall number of detainees in Michigan remains relatively low compared to facilities in other states.
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