Tateona Williams was formerly homeless and lost two of her children in a Detroit city parking garage on February 10th, 2025. It is believed that they died from hypothermia while they were all asleep in their van. Is this just another example of our social programs being inept in dealing with homelessness? Or do Americans need to consider the cost of mass illegal immigration?

Ms. Williams reported that she reached out to homeless shelters in November 2024 and “no resolution was made.” Are we seeing a failure of our homeless system due to the unprecedented numbers of illegal immigrants overwhelming the system? There is an argument to be made, as there are many studies which have concluded that increased competition from foreign labor can lower wages or increase rent costs. 

There are many services newcomers have when they arrive in Detroit, such as emergency Medicaid, free or low-cost school lunches, and temporary access to soup kitchens or shelters. They also have access to programs such as the Newcomer Rental Subsidy program. This program provides $500 rental assistance for 12 months to newcomers who meet income and immigration status requirements.

In the Big Apple, Mayor Eric Adams (D) stated that the migrant crisis would cost New York $12 billion dollars. He also warned that services would have to be cut to accommodate these newcomers. Are we seeing similar things happening in Detroit? Are the sheer numbers of newcomers creating a strain on programs that could help Americans escape poverty? 

We don’t know all the details of the Williams case. Those will come as the investigation unfolds. What deserves more attention is how American citizens can so easily “fall through the cracks” when no one is looking out for them. Or when public officials are more concerned with politics than with the people they are responsible for serving. 

NumbersUSA has been fighting for lower immigration numbers because we believe it will benefit Americans. This doesn’t mean that less immigration exempts Americans from negative consequences. It certainly doesn’t mean that immigrants are to blame for all that ails our society. It’s about setting reasonable limits and making sure that these limits are strictly enforced. 

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) warned that the children’s deaths in the city have “got to make us rethink everything that we’re doing.” I hope this “rethinking” extends to immigration policies. Wayne County is a sanctuary county, welcoming illegal immigrants who are taking jobs that legal residents of Detroit can and will do. 

Is Duggan or Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) open to supporting stronger E-Verify laws to prevent illegal hiring, which, in turn, will provide more stable, well-paying jobs for Americans?

Duggan was attacked by immigrant advocacy groups for using the term “illegal aliens” instead of “undocumented.” The groups called the use of the word “illegal” the “I-Word,” arguing that it fuels “racial discrimination.” Where is the outrage from black organizations in Detroit when the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement is co-opted to defend illegal immigration? Who is advocating for black Americans when our immigration policies are failing them?

Homelessness is connected to housing shortages and housing shortages can be directly traced to mass immigration — legal and illegal. More people means more competition for housing and an increase in rent, especially at the low end of the economic ladder. Incredibly, a 5% increase in population can lead to a 12% increase in housing costs. “Many U.S. cities already don’t have enough resources or aren’t deploying them most effectively to meet the needs of their homeless residents,” explained Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. This problem is not helped by introducing a never-ending flood of immigrants to the equation. More sensible immigration policies can give cities time to address the needs of Americans first. Once we address the needs here at home, we can then extend our good graces to others.

As CNN discussed what happened to Tateona Williams, they never mentioned immigration. Instead, Whitehead blamed “a shortage of affordable, low-income housing units, landlords driving up rent prices, and a federal minimum wage that stands at $7.25.” But a steady stream of low-wage immigrant labor is also contributing to all these problems.

Let’s discuss where this tragedy fits in history, since most people don’t understand how immigration corresponds with housing, jobs, and wages. When slavery was abolished after the Civil War, black Americans began accruing real wealth. After emancipation, the white-black wealth gap narrowed from 23-to-1 in 1870 to 11-to-1 in 1900. While still suffering from both de jure and de facto discrimination, black Americans took on paying jobs, became business owners, and even purchased land.

Then the Progressive Era’s immigration boom began in earnest. Between 1900 and 1915, more than 15 million immigrants arrived at U.S. shores — destabilizing labor markets and particularly hurting low-skilled, black workers.

Numerous black civil rights and labor leaders, including A. Philip Randolph, endorsed efforts to slash immigration rates. Excessive immigration, Randolph emphasized, “over-floods the labor market, resulting in lowering the standard of living.”

Congress ultimately listened, passing the Immigration Act of 1924. By tightening the labor market, the law was arguably a factor in radically shrinking the earnings gap between black and white men between 1940 and 1980.

It’s simple supply and demand after all. When there are fewer workers available, employers have to raise wages and provide better benefits to compete for the scarce labor resource.

Tateona’s children were not killed by an illegal immigrant like Laken Riley was. However, the immigration policies have lowered wages, increased housing competition, and increased job competition, leading many black American families down a path of poverty and homelessness. Will the death of her children cause progressive policymakers to rethink everything we are doing to create more economically just immigration policies?

Andre Barnes serves as the HBCU engagement director for NumbersUSA and is a Project 21 ambassador.