The Gordie Howe International Bridge includes a mile and a half of cable and steel stretching across the Detroit River. The architect calls it a work of public art. It can be seen from around the city.

On the American side sits Delray and parts of Southwest Detroit — neighborhoods that have long sat in the shadow of heavy industry.

The bridge was constructed in Delray for a reason: The area had a lot of vacant, publicly owned land available at low prices. Many residents didn’t want it there. Once it was clear the bridge was coming, they organized, and negotiated a $45 million community benefits agreement, including home repairs, new windows and air systems, and a buyout for those who wanted to leave.

The Metro is asking: When a billion dollar project lands on a neighborhood that spent decades being overlooked — can it actually leave the people who live there better off? 

Paul Draus is a sociologist at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He’s been tracking how folks near the Gordie Howe International Bridge have been affected by its construction. He spoke with host Robyn Vincent.

One note: Professor Draus worked with a community park that received a donation from the bridge authority for a public sculpture a few years back.

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The law says if you come to this country and want asylum, you have to ask for it in your first year. For decades, people who did that were largely left alone while they waited. The application was proof you were doing it the right way.

Not anymore.

Last July, ICE issued a memo reinterpreting which part of immigration law governs detention — a change that stripped many people of the right to ask a judge to release them on bond. The Board of Immigration Appeals backed that reading in September. Federal courts have split over it, and in May the 6th Circuit, which covers Michigan, ruled against the policy.

Attorneys here say something else changed alongside it. Agents started showing up at the homes and workplaces of people with applications pending — people whose only offense is waiting in a line that takes years.

On today’s show, host Robyn Vincent speaks with three people living with these changes.

Kevin Piecuch is an immigration attorney and executive director of the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, a free and low-cost legal clinic. He describes a legal practice now dominated by detention cases, and recounts what he says he witnessed at a bond docket this month — arrest records submitted to a judge containing information he says was flatly false. 

We also hear from a young woman detained while her asylum case was still pending. We’re not using her real name.

Later, Pastor Kevin Casillas of the First Latin American Baptist Church in Southwest Detroit describes what these detentions have done to his congregation — and to his job. In January of last year, the federal government rescinded the policy that had kept immigration enforcement away from churches, schools and hospitals. Some congregations have since won court protection. 

The Metro contacted ICE’s Detroit field office and media department for comment. They did not respond.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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Three finalists have been chosen in the search for Dearborn Public Schools superintendent. The finalists were chosen during a special meeting over the weekend. Thomas Ahart, Mike Esseily and Moussa Hamka will move forward to the next round of interviews with district officials and stakeholders this week. 

A meet and greet will be held on April 22 from 7:20-8:45 p.m. for community members to meet the candidates at the Administrative Building. Finalists will be interviewed by the Board of Education on April 23. A final decision will be made on May 4 during a special meeting. 

The superintendent search was initiated when Former Superintendent Glenn Maleyko stepped down to become the State Superintendent.  

People can follow updates at the district’s YouTube page @DearbornPublicSchoolsVideo or at dearbornschools.org.

Additional headlines for Monday, April 20, 2026

Night of Innovation, Bet on Dearborn Expo

The Night of Innovation event cohosted by the City of Dearborn’s Economic Development Department and the American Arab Chamber of Commerce is a shark tank style pitch competition for prizes. The top prize wins $25,000. That takes place on May 12 from 5-8 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

The following day, the Bet on Dearborn Expo returns for a third year. The expo brings entrepreneurs, business resources, community services and networking together. The event takes place on May 13 from 4-8 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.  

Visit betondearborn.com for more information and to register for free. 

Dream of Detroit training

The nonprofit Dream of Detroit is hosting a community organizing training. The training will teach leaders principles of community organizing based on faith, storytelling and collective power. 

The training takes place May 2 from 1-6 p.m. and Sunday May 3. RSVP at dreamofdetroit.org. 

ICE impacts immigrant families—even if they’re here legally  

A recent study shows that some immigrant families in Michigan remain in constant fear because of the Trump administration’s ICE raids. 

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) found the crackdown has disrupted the lives of immigrants regardless of legal status. Researchers say children and parents are missing doctors’ appointments and other routine activities over concerns that ICE could arrest them.

Elizabeth Gonzalez is an organizer with the Congress of Communities in Southwest Detroit. She says ICE agents showing up at schools and childcare centers affects kids needing educational opportunities. “We depend on our Head Start centers and our Head Start programs. Unfortunately, enrollment has dropped due to parents and children being scared of ice surrounding centers and schools.” 

But Gonzalez has a message for the community: “Estamos unidos para proteger a nuestros niños. We are united to protect our children.” 

CLASP recommends that lawmakers restore prohibitions against ICE agents operating at schools, houses of worship and hospitals. 

– Reporting by Russ McNamara

Bill Kubota inducted into Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame

Senior Producer at Detroit PBS Bill Kubota was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame this weekend for his contributions to journalism in Detroit and Southeast Michigan. 

Kubota is known for his work for Detroit Public Television’s weekly public affairs program One Detroit. Detroit PBS says Kubota dedicated his life’s work to working in Detroit since the 1980s as a trailblazer in video journalism. He’s also worked as a producer with several national news outlets.

Kubota’s work encompasses overlooked stories, from civil rights to environmental justice and the formerly incarcerated. Kubota is the treasurer for the Michigan chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association. 

If there is something happening in your neighborhood that you think we should know about, drop us a line at DetroitEveningReport@wdet.org. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Detroit Evening Report podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Move Detroit coalition has launched two programs aimed at increasing the city’s population.

The first is the Make Detroit Home program, a grant program offering financial incentives to encourage entrepreneurs to bring their small businesses—and their residence—back to the city.    

The program has $500,000 it can give away in forms of grants and other financial incentives.   

Move Detroit CEO Hillary Doe says they are hoping to target new and returning Detroiters to the city.   

“Then for the kind of returning Detroiters and the new Detroiters, the eligibility there is that your intention is to, you know, bring your residence back home. You know that you want to become a resident of our great city here, and then you can get access to those benefits, including things like up to $1,000 in relocation.”  

The second is the Neighborhood Ambassador Program that seeks to nominate 100 Detroiters to help shape the city’s growth strategy.   

Doe says program’s goal is to influence people to move to the city with stories and experiences shared from current residents.  

“To help share their favorite local haunts, their favorite small business owners. Share stories and really be our storytellers. To share, you know, Detroit story with our city, our region and you know the country.”  

Applications to nominate a resident is open. The 100 ambassadors will be chosen in June.   

Additional headlines for Thursday, April 9, 2026

New strategies to enforce safe housing

Detroit’s laws, health, and building safety departments are increasing enforcement strategies to ensure safe and quality housing for renters.   

The effort is anchored in three coordinated actions, joint inspections between the health and safety departments, initiating court-enforced consent agreements for properties with known persistent issues and placing liens on chronically blighted properties.   

The Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department (BSEED) has identified 60 apartment buildings with ongoing maintenance issues.  

BSEED Director David Bell says the city has reached a turning point. “Apartment buildings in this city where violations pile up, repairs never happen, and families are left in conditions that no one should ever have to tolerate. This has to stop.”  

Bell says the goal is to increase certificates of compliance from 14% to 35% in a year.  

Workshop to tell the stories of Southwest Detroit

The University of Michigan’s School of Social Work’s Engage Project is hosting a workshop called “Detroit Voices Southwest Oral History Project.” The workshop will focus on exploring the power of community storytelling and oral history. 

Participants will learn how to document their communities stories, preserve lived experiences, and use story telling as a way to foster dialogue and collective action.

The event will be held this Saturday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mexicantown Community Development Center at 2835 Bagley in Detroit. Registration is not needed and lunch will be provided.  

Chevrolet Malibu recall

General Motors is recalling more than a quarter-million Chevrolet Malibus to fix their rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the way GM mounted the cameras could expose them to moisture that can weaken the adhesives holding them in place. That can cause distorted or blank images, increasing the risk of a crash.

The automaker says it’s not aware of any crashes or injuries. It will replace the cameras at no charge. 

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