Jeff Brasie

In recent years my bride, Penny, enrolled us on the website Ancestry.

My parents both passed 50-plus years ago. I knew some aspects about their background. They both met at university, raised three sons, and I was brought up in the Methodist church. However, I knew little about each other’s family heritage.

Ancestry revealed to me I was almost 30 percent Ashkenazi Jewish with most of the remainder being from England and Northwestern Europe.

The Jewish aspect brought back memories when I was 8 or 9 years old, of my fraternal grandmother, who resided in Portsmouth, Ohio. Her special kitchen cupboards offered a rope running through the handles and a Star of David was positioned in the breakfast nook’s window.

This revealed to me that in the early 1930s, my parents were in a closeted mixed religion marriage – my mother a Christian and my father raised in a Jewish household.

I never knew this.

Then, through further research, I learned in far upstate New York, there is a village named Brasie Corners. The online photos of the local cemetery, local obituary, and news pages revealed that a lot of people with my German-Jewish last name once lived or still reside in the region. I hope one day to visit this hamlet.

These revelations got me deeply thinking about family and dear friends who also have an immigrant heritage.

The Current Hubbub on Immigration

I was a history major in undergraduate university. I recall the historic periods when America was in an anti-immigration environment. During certain periods, the immigration backlash focused on the Italians, Irish, African, German, Japanese, Latino, and Arabic nationalities.

Currently, America’s administration is seeking to identify and deport known immigrant criminals and those not legally in or undocumented in America.

From media accounts, it seems to indicate a number of “bad actors” have been identified. However, less this group, a substantial number – in the thousands – are being charged without a full background review or due process.

It appears the majority of those charged are of black, brown, or light skin color.

I conducted some online research and surfaced a recent United States Congress Joint Economic Committee report which addressed the value of employing immigrants prior to, during, and after the COVID pandemic.

The multi-page Congressional research study cited:

~ Immigrant labor sustains the U.S. food supply.

~ Immigrant health care workers are disproportionately responsible for in-person care.

~ Immigrants’ employment rate typically rebounds more quickly from downturns.

~ The spending power of immigrants fuels the economy.

~ Immigrants are younger, more likely to work in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering, and Math).

~ Immigrants are more likely to start a business.

In addition, the Congressional research surfaced the following facts:

~ One in seven of America’s total population is foreign-born (46 million people).

~ More than one in six American workers are foreign-born (28 million).

~ Almost half (48 percent) of the foreign-born labor force is Latino; one-quarter (25 percent) is Asian; 10 percent is Black and 16 percent is White.

~ Foreign-born workers are overrepresented in key occupations within the fields of health, accounting for 38 percent of home health aides, 29 percent of physicians and 23 percent of pharmacists.

~ Immigrants make up 22 percent of all workers in the U.S. food supply chain.

~ About three-fourths of undocumented immigrants in the labor force are classified as essential.

~ Immigrants start approximately 25 percent of America’s new business firms.

Michigan’s current population exceeds 10 million residents. Statistics from the Michigan Labor Department reveal that in mid-2025 over 4.8 million residents are employed. The U. S. Congressional study cites over 684,000 of these Michigan workers are foreign-born.

Finally, the “How Come” of America’s Prior Immigrants Values

Some place along my career I once heard, “You are who you are from where you come from along with your family and region’s values.”

Over a dozen years ago, Colin Woodward researched and wrote a book entitled “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.”

It is fascinating book which breaks America down into 11 distinctive regions where immigrants arrived. For example, the book cites the New Netherland region (New York City and surrounding region) offered a strong finance and business acclaim, El Norte was with a significant Latino heritage (Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona), the Deep South region was founded by Barbados agricultural leaders steeped in slavery, Greater Appalachia region was settled by the English, Irish, and Scotch, and The Left Coast region is close to the Pacific Ocean, comprised of portions of California, Oregon, and Washington, which is seen as offering good government and social reform.

Michigan falls into the Yankeedom region, which swings from New England through the upper Midwest. Woodward cites this region as, “A culture that put great emphasis on education, local political control, and the pursuit of the ‘greater good’ of the community, even if it required individual self-denial.”

In summary, Woodward states America is indeed a nation. But, deeply influenced and rooted where the settlers came from and their values.

America’s current and future democracy, economics, health, values, and viability must include immigrants. Versus thoughtlessly rounding any immigrants up and deporting them.

Just alone, the food, agricultural, and health care industries would face dramatic challenges less immigrant labor.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes feature stories and op-eds for various newspapers, magazines, and social media sites. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the Secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and resides in suburban Detroit.