Asian Indians in Michigan

The New Immigration, 1968 and After

The New Immigration, 1968 and Afte(l ~ ontrary to popular opinion, the ramifications of the Civil Rights Movement were not limited to freedom, equality, and rights for African Americans. In fact, this movement pricked the conscience of the nation so deeply that other institutions were looked into as well. U.S. immigration laws and practices were found to be racist and to promote inequality, a situation that was remedied by the Immigration Act ofI965. The effects of the 1965 immigration laws were visible by 1970, as students and highly educated people in the professions dominated the Asian Indian influx that was termed the new immigration.32 Because of the family reunification clause in U.S. immigration legislation, the uneducated element began increasing in 1980. However, the overall education level of the Asian Indians remains one of the highest in the United States. The post-1965 immigrant experience differs from that oftheir predecessors . The 1965 legislation eliminated quotas based on race and nation of origin and gave admission based upon qualifications of the applicant and needs of the United States. India had a ready pool of highly educated, technically trained individuals who were qualified and took advantage of the new regulations. By 1970, Asian Indians, 23 24 Arthur W. Helweg along with other Asians, had become a prominent part of the U.S. immigration stream. By 1975 Asian Indians in America numbered 175,000; in 1980 there were 387,223; and by 1990 their population was up to 815.447. In 1997 Asian Indians in America numbered 1.215 million and they were entering the United States at a rate of 850 per week, ranking them third among countries providing immigrants. As a result of the 1965 immigration legislation, Michigan was a major recipient of new talent. It had the industry to employ the foreign-born and foreign-trained engineers, doctors, and scientists. In addition, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University attracted Asian Indians to Michigan. The University ofMichigan had an international reputation for medicine, engineering, and science. Michigan State University was noted for agriculture and veterinary medicine. Both universities had projects abroad, and friendly professors there attracted students. Those who entered these universities proved the high capability of Indian students. International companies in Michigan , from the automobile industry to pharmaceuticals, have attracted large numbers of Indian Americans to the state. By 1980 the stream of talent began to be diluted. As Asian Indians became citizens, they took advantage of the fourth preference provision ofthe immigration laws and brought relatives to the United States. These relatives did not have the high qualifications of their predecessors . Between the 1980 and 1990 censuses, there was an 85 percent increase in the Asian Pacific Islander category. In Kalamazoo, the increase in this category was 124 percent.33 The industries had attracted the highly educated, who entered under the third and sixth preference categories. These educated and skilled workers laid the basis for the immigration of relatives under the first and fifth preference categories. The framers of the 1965 immigration legislation thought that Europeans would dominate the immigration stream into the United States, but the economy in Europe was too good at the time and they did not migrate. The preference system attracted the best educated and most talented to the United States, with East andWest given equal preference . The new immigrants brought with them new patterns of settlement and different skills to apply to the task ofbuilding Michigan. They were independent of cultural brokers, because they were fluent in the ASIAN INDIANS IN MICHIGAN 25 English language and skilled in dealing with bureaucracies and corporate structures. The Asian Indian population in Michigan has exploded. In 1974 there were only 3,561 Asian Indians in Michigan. By 1980 there were 8,879 born in India, and by 1990 there were 13,286, and 23,845 claimed Asian Indian ancestry.34 By 1998 Asian Indians made up 0.6 percent of Michigan's population, and India was the country of origin for more immigrants in the state than any other, as was also the case for Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Ohio, WestVirginia, New Jersey, Mississippi , and Delaware. According to the 2000 census the Asian population in Michigan jumped from 103,201 to 176,501, a 70.5 percent increase. Since the 1990 census the number ofAsian Indians in Michigan jumped to 54,631, a 129 percent increase. Asian Indians and Vietnamese are the...