immigration

By Mike Moen – Producer/Minnesota News Connection

Minnesota faces an uphill climb in boosting its population to maintain a strong labour force and meet other needs.

Formal census counts happen every 10 years, but in between the reports, experts monitor trends and compare them with past population swings.

Susan Brower, state demographer for Minnesota, says after decades of steady growth, the state’s population is levelling off.

Slowdowns are happening across the U.S., but she notes it is especially felt in the Midwest and Northeast regions.

Brower attributes the shift to what is known as “natural change.”

“We have a higher share of deaths, more mortality in those higher age groups, and we have falling birth rates at the same time,” explains Brower.

Unlike some of its Midwestern neighbours, Brower points out Minnesota is not quite at the point where there are more deaths than births, but the state is projected to cross the threshold by the end of the 2030s.

Demographers warn the pressure from the shift is beginning to show, with more strain on health care systems and government budgets.

There is an effect on the labour force, too, and Brower argues boosting international migration could ease that pressure.

It is unknown how much the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown will stall progress in aiding Minnesota’s workforce needs with foreign-born workers.

Brower adds Minnesota has seen a recent boost in people moving here from other states, but reiterates looking toward other countries holds more promise than anything else.

“In terms of growth of the workforce, international migration is the most plausible mechanism to start to see more growth in the near future,” underscores Brower.

She notes even with some exceptions, the pattern of people leaving Midwestern states is too much to overcome in the short term.

When speaking at an event hosted by the University of Minnesota Alumni Association, Brower contended the latest numbers should compel policymakers to support educational opportunities for working adults and parents.

The research indicated there should be an emphasis on essential industries like health care.

By Mike Moen – Producer /Minnesota News Connection

Community resiliency in Minnesota is getting praise as neighbourhoods try to meet daily needs while surrounded by federal immigration officers.

A local philanthropic arm is distributing new financial relief in hopes that grassroots organizing and civic engagement do not lose energy.

The Headwaters Foundation for Justice says it’s providing $120,000 in emergency funding to organizations throughout Minnesota assisting with mutual aid.

The foundation’s co-executive director, Bilal Alkatout, says he is sad to see businesses shuttered in culturally rich neighbourhoods.

He argues it puts pressure on households struggling to pay rent and cover basic needs.

“It’s gonna be a real deep wound to heal, and it’s gonna take quite a bit of time,” says Alkatout.

Local organizers say, unlike the racial reckoning after George Floyd’s murder and the COVID-19 pandemic, there is not much in the way of help from the government.

Aside from some state support, Alkatout echoes sentiments that communities are mostly on their own.

The Trump administration has described the local resistance as overly hostile, but national observers mostly paint a different picture, suggesting Minnesota is a model for how to respond to this kind of crisis.

Pundits and op-eds credit Minnesota residents, churches and aid groups for banding together to ensure access to essential items while emphasizing nonviolent forms of protest.

Headwater’s rapid response grants are also going out to organizations providing legal counsel to immigrants.

Alkatout says it is no secret that aspect of relief is under a lot of stress.

“We haven’t really invested enough in that, what I call the moral, ethical arm of our economy, to handle such pressure,” says Alkatout.

The Twin Cities are the focal point of political tensions, especially after the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents.

But Alkatout reminds the public that intense immigration enforcement is seen in towns and cities across the state, and hopes those areas are not overlooked.