 The tourism industry has been squeezed to its limits. Without enough domestic or immigrant labor, resorts have reduced capacity, cut down on dining options and extended workers’ shifts. Michigan’s crown jewel, Mackinac Island, is a microcosm of these competing forces. Few Americans want to live there, but thousands want to visit.  The siblings have been in survival mode in the three years since their mother was taken. It’s been seven years since their father was put in the back of a patrol car. Even if they see him again, the oldest - a surrogate mother at this point - worries her sister won’t recognize his face.  Roughly 1,000 people from outside the United States, mainly Jamaica, come to work in Mackinac Island’s hotels, restaurants and stables each spring and leave in the fall. Throughout the season, they shop for items to send back home in a tradition called ‘Barrel Day.’ Most people have never heard of this tradition and you'll love this story, we guarantee.  The 2020 census placed Michigan near dead last in the country for population growth during the last decade, enough to lose a seat in Congress. Experts say Michigan desperately needs to add residents to prevent an erosion of political power and economic growth. Immigrants are Michigan's solution. |
