Bloomberg: Send the immigrants to Detroit
posted at 9:20 am on May 2, 2011 by Jazz Shaw
Everyone has a solution to the immigration problem these days. (At least until they are actually elected to public office when they seem to forget about it.) Should we build a fence? Have more screeners? Shut down the process entirely? Out in the Big Apple, Mayor Bloomberg thinks he’s come up with a far more creative solution to the problem. We’ll just let all of the immigrants in who want to come, but as soon as they arrive we just ship them all to Detroit.
Mayor Bloomberg has a fix for the nation’s immigration debate: Send ‘em to Detroit.
“If I were the federal government,” Bloomberg told David Gregory on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday morning. “Assuming you could wave a magic wand and pull everybody together, you pass a law letting immigrants come in as long as they agree to go to Detroit and live there for five or ten years.”
As you might imagine, this brilliant and helpful suggestion caught the Mayor of Detroit a bit off guard.
“There are things that would have to be considered before we just open the flood gates and say everyone come in,” said Karen Dumas, a spokswoman for Detroit Mayor Dave Bing.
“Certainly, we do have room for additional citizens,” she said. “We certainly welcome those citizens but we would want to make sure that people who are here are able to enjoy a quality of life from an educational perspective, an employment perspective and a public safety perspective.”
Bloomberg has gone – in the period of one botched snowstorm response – from being the toast of the town and a rumored 3rd party presidential candidate to muttering incoherently around anyone who will listen. Where in the dark pathways of the man’s mind does a comment like this come from? I understand that he’s probably not terribly concerned about how popular he is in Michigan, but still…
Immigration is a serious challenge calling for sober thought and what are likely to be complex, long term efforts to find solutions. Dumping everyone in an inner city area facing massive unemployment and crime problems is not just silly, it’s offensive. It’s time for team Bloomberg to get some new handlers for the Mayor.
Blowback
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..AP wire post: This just in, Mayor Bloomberg admitted to rehab for crack addiction.
Alden Pyle on May 2, 2011 at 9:24 AM
His incompetence at emergency response, and bizarre social policy ideas prove him to be a democrat.
Vashta.Nerada on May 2, 2011 at 9:24 AM
Let me guess, round em up and put em on trains, Bloomie?
artist on May 2, 2011 at 9:25 AM
Hahahaha even criminal aliens don’t want to come to Ameica THAT bad!!! This should make for some good NY / Detroit team rivalries.
Alden Pyle on May 2, 2011 at 9:25 AM
Send them all to Detroit? Classy.
Someone should follow up with the good mayor and ask how we would enforce keeping them there for the 5 to 10 years? A fence? A wall? Armed soldiers?
myrenovations on May 2, 2011 at 9:26 AM
You already have this in LA and even with all the rich in CA, LA in many parts has real problems. MI doesn’t have the economy to support that amount of immigrants. Many of their cities are near bankruptcy already.
IR-MN on May 2, 2011 at 9:28 AM
Or better yet just enforce the current laws we have by sealing the borders and deporting the illegals.
Bishop on May 2, 2011 at 9:29 AM
What an asinine, clueless idea. The reason Detroit is so empty is that there aren’t any jobs around, thanks in part to the unions.
A few years ago Toledo’s then mayor, Carty Finkbeiner had the idea to move all the deaf people out to the airport (can’t hear, can’t hear airplane noise). He was roundly criticized for such an insensitive remark. Bloomy’s is on par with it.
rbj on May 2, 2011 at 9:29 AM
Paging Snake Plisken. Snake Plisken?
Yeah Snake, listen, we got this great idea for a new sequel. This time in Spanish and set in Detroit.
MJBrutus on May 2, 2011 at 9:29 AM
This dope must have gotten a new shipment in…
Gohawgs on May 2, 2011 at 9:30 AM
What Bloomberg is really saying, then, is that he doesn’t want the immigrants in his back yard. Burden Detroit with them. Oh, and let them eat cake!
So lame.
Outlander on May 2, 2011 at 9:30 AM
[artist on May 2, 2011 at 9:25 AM]
I wonder, does Bloomie know that Detroit allows the sale of sugary foodstuffs?
Dusty on May 2, 2011 at 9:30 AM
I think Bloomberg’s seen Escape From New York one too many times.
Doughboy on May 2, 2011 at 9:30 AM
You forgot the obligatory response.
Steve Eggleston on May 2, 2011 at 9:31 AM
Damn! Beat me to it by one minute. BTW, I heard Snake Plissken is dead.
Doughboy on May 2, 2011 at 9:31 AM
Look, I’m originally from Detroit, so I can say with certainty that Detroiters just made a collective decision not to welcome Mayor Bloomberg to their city anytime soon.
DrStock on May 2, 2011 at 9:31 AM
Man, this is right out of that classic John Landis comedy from the 1970′s “The Kentucky Fried Movie”, where they did this spoof of the movie “Enter The Dragon”, called it “A Fistful Of Yen”, and had the villain sending victims to Detroit for punishment.
Bloomie must have this movie in his Blu-Ray collection. Where else could he have gotten the idea from?
On that note, maybe Landis should sue for plagerism and copyright infringment.
pilamaye on May 2, 2011 at 9:33 AM
It it is o.k. to “send them to detroit”, why not just send them back to Mexico – or whatever other country they are from? Why keep them in the U.S. at all?
Monkeytoe on May 2, 2011 at 9:34 AM
Because the projects in NY are sooooo glamorous
Alden Pyle on May 2, 2011 at 9:36 AM
How about NYC send Bloomberg to Detroit?
GFW on May 2, 2011 at 9:36 AM
Gee, you mean before we let a bunch of foreigners in we should make sure they aren’t going to overwhelm our school systems, our hospitals, our law enforcement resources; we should also make sure we know who they really are, and that they aren’t a bunch of criminals coming here to take advantage of us?
Ironic that the mayor of Detroit can understand this, but our president and those he has appointed to head up our immigration services can’t understand it.
AZCoyote on May 2, 2011 at 9:37 AM
Escape From
New YorkDetroitThat’s the mind of a progressive, “Oh, wait! I have a (final) solution!”
A group of elites and “experts” decide what’s best for everybody then it becomes law! Problems solved, that’s good government! Malcontents go to re-education!
cartooner on May 2, 2011 at 9:37 AM
Can you imagine if a conservative had muttered this?
By the way, does Bing’s spokeswoman know the difference between a citizen and a resident? Unless Obama waves a wand and issues an executive order declaring that anyone stepping foot in the country is automatically a citizen, there’s still a very important difference between a citizen and a resident. You’d think a spokeswoman would appreciate the difference.
BuckeyeSam on May 2, 2011 at 9:38 AM
Immigrants come here for a better life, Bloomberg, not a worse one.
Vashta.Nerada on May 2, 2011 at 9:39 AM
Oh, I see. Bloomberg wants to fatten them up in one place so we can catch ‘em and deport ‘em!
cartooner on May 2, 2011 at 9:41 AM
If these people could support a semi-socialist city, they wouldn’t have left Mexico.
cartooner on May 2, 2011 at 9:44 AM
Exactly. And Bloomers never wonders why it is that so much of a once thriving city has been converted to farm land. Why does it need to be restocked with foreigners who weren’t around to see its decline and wonder why? Hey Bloomie, it’s because of Liberal nannies like you!
MJBrutus on May 2, 2011 at 9:44 AM
Just the thought of Bloomie sporting an eyepatch, armed with an Uzi and growling “Call me Snake!” just doesn’t cut it.
pilamaye on May 2, 2011 at 9:44 AM
Please, Detroit has enough problems already.
rbj on May 2, 2011 at 9:45 AM
Is Bloomberg floating an idea for a new entry in the Escape from New York series?
mchristian on May 2, 2011 at 9:46 AM
I assume this is his version of the Homestead Act, by way of Jack Kemp’s “enterprise zones.” Obviously you can’t just dump a million foreigners in Detroit and then fence them in. They’d need all sorts of incentives – free homes, tax exemptions, low-interest loans, &c. A sure voter getter with the rest of the country. But frankly no crazier than bailouts as far as the eye can see.
Seth Halpern on May 2, 2011 at 9:46 AM
No offense to anyone here who might live in Detroit, but I’ve been there a few tmes recently and judging from I saw, Bloomberg seems to have the right idea. Something tells me that the good folks of Southern Cal, Arizona, and Texas might agree.
Gartrip on May 2, 2011 at 9:46 AM
Seriously, how did this man become a billionaire? He has to be the one of the stupidest people who comes up with the most hair-brained ideas. And why doesn’t he stick to NYC, where he is mayor? Using NYPD to do undercover operations at a gun show in AZ, now he’s going to fix Detroit’s problem?
NYC, Bloomberg. NYC. That’s your domain. Stick to it.
I would say he should join Trump with his sideshow, but I fear there isn’t a room big enough to hold both their ego’s.
ramrants on May 2, 2011 at 9:47 AM
Must…read…comments…
mchristian on May 2, 2011 at 9:47 AM
I suppose Mayor Mike could come out and say he wants immigrants in Detroit because they come to the U.S. to work and would make the place better. But even he’s not dumb enough to go there and infer that the problem with Detroit is the people of Detroit and the Democrats they’ve elected to run the city over the past 40-plus years (though Bing’s probably better than anyone they’ve had in the mayor’s office at least since the 1970s).
jon1979 on May 2, 2011 at 9:48 AM
Mayor of Detroit should be sending Eminem over to New York to kick Bloomie in the bloomers!
pilamaye on May 2, 2011 at 9:51 AM
Landis directed Kentucky Fried Movie, but the real creative minds behind that flick were the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team(the guys who did Airplane! and The Naked Gun).
Also, there is no Blu-ray version of KFM. Believe me, I wish Anchor Bay(assuming they still have the rights) would get around to releasing it.
Doughboy on May 2, 2011 at 9:52 AM
Then you know what segment here I’m talking about, right?
pilamaye on May 2, 2011 at 9:56 AM
Oh yeah. I love that flick. “This is not a chawade.” And let’s not forget that epic opening shot of “Hong Kong” with Lady Liberty in the background.
Doughboy on May 2, 2011 at 9:58 AM
So Mikey Bloomberg is a RACIST! Who knew?
GarandFan on May 2, 2011 at 10:00 AM
THEY ARE NOT CITIZENS!!
SouthernGent on May 2, 2011 at 10:02 AM
Detroitistan is already a ghost town…
Could be the shot in the arm they need.
/
OmahaConservative on May 2, 2011 at 10:03 AM
That and the promo for “That’s Armaggedon!”
Like I said, it’s a classic!
pilamaye on May 2, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Gotta’ be a conservative then, right?
OmahaConservative on May 2, 2011 at 10:04 AM
The correct thing to do with the “Magic Wand” is to wave it and send all illegal immigrants back to their country of origin.
taznar on May 2, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Because nothing says “Welcome to America!” like having your daughter raped on the way to school and your house hit by stray bullets in a drive by.
Canadian Infidel on May 2, 2011 at 10:28 AM
Detroit has multiple issues that would still be in place regardless of how many people were forced to live there.
There are no jobs in the area. I’m sure the people that do have the few jobs that do exist in Detroit wouldn’t appreciate massive amounts of newcomers coming in for those jobs.
The second big issue Detroit has is the city government’s refusal to abandon their ridiculous policies. A Detroit native came in and wanted to buy up abandoned land to build a high tech, urban farm that would provide jobs in the area. The city refused to sell him the land at a discount. Not only did they want him to pay full price for it, they also wanted him to pay all of the unpaid back taxes on the property as well. Furthermore, they were pissed off that he didn’t have more black people in charge of the project.
So, instead of making some money selling unwanted land to a guy that was going to build a high tech community farm that would provide jobs and fresh food to the citizens of Detroit, the geniuses in charge figured that 0 tax revenue was better than lower than they preferred tax revenue.
JadeNYU on May 2, 2011 at 10:44 AM
I get it.
Concentration Camp humor.
Your so funny, our hero.
nimrod on May 2, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Bloomberg’s idea may actually work for Detroit. Build a convenience store on every corner. The Mexicans can build ‘em and the Muzzies can run ‘em.
Pure Sooper-Genius, Bloomberg, Sooper-Genius.
BigAlSouth on May 2, 2011 at 11:11 AM
If you gave them a choice between Detroit and GITMO, which do you think they would choose?
sandspur on May 2, 2011 at 11:12 AM
Yup, a complete moron and an embarrassment to the Republican Party. How did he become a billionaire? It’s Ted Turner all over again. He may be a real idiot but he had one great idea and he made the most of it.
slickwillie2001 on May 2, 2011 at 11:16 AM
As with Harvard Law Review President Obama, one wonders how people who are reputed to be so brilliant can appear so obviously stupid to us regular folk. And so it is with Bloomberg, the midget general.
What a yutz.
Jaibones on May 2, 2011 at 11:19 AM
We don’t have an immigration problem. We have an ILLEGAL immigration problem.
The liberals change words and meanings simply by refusing to use the correct language. The USA has an immigration policy. If we simply had an immigration problem, we could just change the numbers of immigrants allowed.
katablog.com on May 2, 2011 at 11:25 AM
Hey, if someone is willing to live in that hell-hole and stay there for ten or even five years in order to be here, they must want to be American very badly. I could live with that…
Big John on May 2, 2011 at 11:26 AM
Let’s assume this were feasible and made sense in some kind of bizarro world where Bloomie lives.
How exactly do you keep people there for 5 or 10 years? What happens if Juan or Jose wants to move to Chicago 2 years into his 5 year sentence? Do we build a Berlin Wall type of thing were nobody can leave without permission?
Liberal. Mental. Disease.
angryed on May 2, 2011 at 11:33 AM
I think a guest worker status, with a geographical restriction to the Detroit area, is a noble idea. There are several US areas we can target for immigrant settlement. Utah’s immigration reform act embraces guest worker status as well. I don’t know why this is such a repulsive concept. Virtually all of us, save Native Americans, are either immigrants or the offspring of ones. Why display so much cruelty and disdain for the newest immigrants?
Mark30339 on May 2, 2011 at 12:26 PM
I don’t think Detroit has had a good mayor since the 1950′s.
Hey Bloomberg, STFU, Michigan is broke. There are no jobs in Detroit, and the state can not afford more welfare recipients. We also don’t want any more illegals here.
karenhasfreedom on May 2, 2011 at 12:48 PM
Hey Mark, are you referring to ILLEGAL immigrants or LEGAL immigrants? Huge difference.
karenhasfreedom on May 2, 2011 at 12:49 PM