The Invisible MENA Population in Dearborn, Michigan: Diversity-Blind Police Traffic and Arrest Data

The Invisible MENA Population in Dearborn, Michigan: Diversity-Blind Police Traffic and Arrest Data

Robbya Reneea Green-Weir
Copyright: © 2024 |Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-8569-9.ch006
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Abstract

Dearborn, MI is the enclave of Arab Americans in the United States. Arabs migrated to Dearborn, MI, many as refugees of war, seeking prosperity. The Arab American experience is invisible because this population is classified as “White'” according to the U.S. Census. However, many Arab Americans do not identify as “White.” Therefore, interpretations using “White” statistics may be flawed. It is imperative that the Office of Management and Budget include a Middle Eastern North African (MENA) category to separate the “White” data and disaggregate MENA data. The Obama and Biden Administrations have submitted proposals on collecting MENA population data. It is unknown if the 2030 U.S. Census will include MENA categories. Law enforcement and other organizations can incorporate both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to capture MENA population statistics and their lived experiences. Until then, the MENA population and their needs will remain invisible to the general population and justice may be elusive.
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History Of Ethnic And Cultural Change In Dearborn, Mi

The history of Dearborn and Arab migration into the city is discussed to understand the importance of collecting MENA data. Major changes to the federal immigration laws and policies saw a large influx of Middle Eastern residents in Detroit. Detroit’s exploding auto industry drew immigrants world-wide. Ford Motor Company Highland Park Plant opened in 1910, advertising $5 per day pay. Ford’s policies at the time excluded African American people from employment in the auto plants, opening the doors for new immigrant jobs. The Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge plant opened in the late 1920s in the South End part of Dearborn and is the largest single industrial complex in the world. The largest number of Arab immigrants arrived in Dearborn and settled in the South End part of the city. War refugees from the Lebanese Civil War, Gulf War, Iraq War, and Syrian War also settled in Dearborn. The timeline of the Arab American arrival in Detroit and Dearborn are as follows:

Late 1880s

  • •

    Syrian and Lebanese immigrated to Detroit, MI and worked on the east side in close proximity to Ford Motor Company’s Jefferson auto plant.

Early 1900s

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    Some Yemenis arrived in Detroit area as early as 1900

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    The first Palestinians settled in Highland Park, MI near the Ford Motor Company Model T plant.

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    Chaldeans first came to Detroit between 1910 and 1912

Late 1920s

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    Ford Motors opened the River Rouge plant in Dearborn, MI, many Arab-Americans followed and settled in the South End of the city.

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    Yemeni Sunni Muslims, Palestinians, and Jordanians, primarily Orthodox Christians but also Sunni Muslims immigrated to Dearborn.

    • 1967 – Arab-Israeli War resulted in many Palestinians being displaced. This set the stage for another war in 1973.

    • 1975 – Immigrants from Yemen and Lebanon settled in the South End of Dearborn due to the civil war in Lebanon.

    • 1991 – Large numbers of Iraqi Shi’a immigrants came to Dearborn for political reasons being expelled from Iraq at the end of the Gulf War.

    • 2003 – Iraqi refugees arrived in a second wave following the U.S. invasion to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction and to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism (Apel, 2020; Jouppi, 2017; Kumaus, n.d.).

The South End community profile as of 2015 is described as high unemployment, prevalent poverty, low educational attainment, and more than 50% of the housing is renter-occupied (Chen, et al., 2015). Conditions had not changed much by 2018, with a reported 70% low income in the area (Matheny & Laitner, 2018). The residents are also exposed to elevated levels of air and water pollution (University of Michigan, n.d.). Contrast this community with the more affluent West Dearborn, where the median income is $72,000 to $78,000 (City Data, 2021).

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