Callers press council to fund Office of Immigrant Affairs; Detroit Land Bank draws criticism from residents

Public comment at the March 13 budget hearing included repeated requests to fully fund the Office of Immigrant Affairs and calls for stronger oversight of the Detroit Land Bank.

Advocates: finish strategic plan, hire director

Christine Suave of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, a co‑chair of the Detroit Immigration Task Force, said the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA) was created in 2015 but has lacked a finished strategic plan and a permanent director. She asked council members to “fully fund the office to make sure it has what it needs to finish the strategic plan, to hire a full time director.”

“We need a strong Office of Immigrant Affairs that is aware of the needs and concerns of immigrant residents and actively working to address those needs,” Suave said, adding the office can play a central role in language access and interdepartmental training.

Ruby Robinson, a staff attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, reiterated the call for a funded director and said the office’s leadership vacancy (vacant since last summer, commenters said) makes it harder for the city to coordinate language access and support after events such as water‑system failures.

Land Bank concerns raised by callers

Several callers criticized the Detroit Land Bank Authority for maintenance practices, transparency and use of public funds. Carolyn Hughes said, “we have given them a hundred million. What is our return on investment?” and urged the council to account for the land bank’s expenditures and returns.

A caller identified on the public record as using a device labeled “Chromebook” said the land bank “claims governmental immunity, and they do throw those tickets away,” referencing flight‑ticket/drainage‑fee enforcement and a perceived unequal standard with private property owners. Other callers asked that the land bank be more transparent about budgets, maintenance responsibilities and contracts for lot mowing and debris removal.

Why it matters: the Office of Immigrant Affairs supports immigrant residents across city departments, and callers said an adequately resourced OIA would improve language access and emergency response. Callers’ concerns about the Detroit Land Bank reflect longstanding neighborhood frustration with vacant‑lot maintenance, billing and the use of city funds for land‑bank operations.

Ending

Council member Santiago Romero told callers that the department is in the interview process for an OIA director and that staff expect to complete hiring after recent delays related to service disruptions earlier in the year. The council did not take formal action on the land bank during the hearing; callers asked Council Members to pursue greater oversight and clearer accounting in follow-up work.