This column originally appeared in Michigan Advance on May 10, 2019
As a United Church of Christ minister and a public policy advocate with the Michigan League for Public Policy, I am given a daily opportunity to practice what I preach. And my two worlds have been particularly aligned lately, as I’ve had a few opportunities to represent my faith and my profession in standing up for and alongside Michigan’s immigrants and Muslim residents.
I was recently able to participate in an Allies Training put on by Movimiento Cosecha Grand Rapids. The training was designed to help privileged folks like me, who don’t have to worry about their legal status in our country, understand how they can use their privilege to support our immigrant neighbors.
In that training, I heard gut-wrenching stories of parents going to work to support their families, only to be pulled over without a driver’s license and deported from the country. My heart breaks for every family that experiences that. I can’t even imagine.
When that happens, one person loses nearly everything. But almost everyone loses something. A husband or wife loses a spouse. Kids lose a parent. Churches lose a congregant. Communities lose a neighbor.
And our businesses and our state as a whole also suffer as they lose another worker who contributes to our economy.
Did you know that undocumented immigrants in Michigan contribute about $86.6 million in state and local taxes to support state and local services? If you’re interested in learning more about immigrants in your area, the Michigan League for Public Policy has put together county fact sheets with information on local immigrant populations.
This data is one way to better understand Michigan immigrants and their contributions to our state and counties. But just like with all people, talking and directly interacting with immigrants is the best way to understand them.
That’s why I was proud to be a part of Movimiento Cosecha Grand Rapids’ Allies Training, and why I was proud to participate in the 2019 Michigan Muslim Capitol Day last month. Members of the Muslim community across Michigan, including immigrants, came to Lansing to meet their elected officials, discuss important issues, attend House and Senate sessions, undergo trainings and participate in workshops. I was on a panel talking about building relationships with lawmakers.
While we may have different faiths, we share many of the same principles—especially compassion and care for one another. I was especially moved by talking with a group of eighth-grade Muslim girls. Their insight, intelligence and desire to be engaged in their government and public policy discussions gave me hope for the future and an important reminder of what my League colleagues and I are fighting for on a daily basis.
On Wednesday, May 1, marches in support of immigrants were held across the country, including marches in Grand Rapids, Detroit and Kalamazoo here in Michigan. The marches in our state were coordinated by Movimiento Cosecha and called for driver’s licenses for all residents, regardless of immigration status.
While I was not able to personally attend one of the marches, my church and others have been supporting the work of Movimiento Grand Rapids and contributed food, money and volunteers for the march in Grand Rapids. We are trying to be faithful to the call to support immigrants.
And while that support is important, what we really need are policy changes to support immigrants in our state and country. There are about a dozen states that provide driver’s licenses regardless of legal status. Michigan needs to join those states.
Muslims and immigrants have often felt the sting of hateful rhetoric and divisive and punitive public policies, but that has grown even worse over the last few years. And that has meant that the League and others who advocate for accepting, welcoming and inclusive policies have been working harder than ever.
It’s a two-pronged albeit imbalanced approach. We play defense and push back on assaultive federal and state policies, like family detainment and separation, changes to the public charge rule, and efforts to make English Michigan’s “official” language. And we promote positive policy changes. In the League’s Owner’s Manual for Michigan, which lays out a plan to support all Michiganders, we highlight the need to support immigrants. This includes driver’s licenses for all and other supports such as Safe Zone Policies to protect immigrants.
I’m reminded of Mr. Rogers, who talked about being a good neighbor. Whether you’re driven by your faith, your job, your own family history or just common decency, we all need to be good neighbors to immigrants in our communities.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
