Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative
Improving Integration Outcomes for New Americans
About the Collaborative
Global Detroit facilitates the Southeast Michigan Immigrant and Refugee Collaborative (SEMIRC), a multi-sector network of private and public entities across Genesee, Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties working together to create more robust systems of support for New Michiganders.
SEMIRC originally convened in 2016 and, after a four-year hiatus, relaunched in 2021 in preparation for a substantial increase in the number of refugee arrivals across the country from 15,000 to 125,000. Little did we know that we’d soon face two, back-to-back refugee crises with the evacuation of Afghans from Kabul and the war in Ukraine. While these events strained our local resettlement system, the Collaborative and its members improved information sharing and the coordination of service and support to meet this growing need and build resilience.
In 2025 and beyond, this resilience has been and will be critical as federal immigration policy has changes, leading to significant cuts to funding for immigration services and the number of new arrivals to Southeast Michigan. SEMIRC continues to meet, sharing information, collectively addressing systems level challenges, and ensuring that our immigrant neighbors can connect with appropriate resources and programming.
How We Work
SEMIRC’s workgroups design and implement creative, collaborative strategies to address obstacles to integration for New Americans. Our current workgroups focus on housing, workforce development, community engagement, and advocacy. Additionally, to be responsive to shifting needs and trends in resettlement and immigration, we create special projects and host events to address timely concerns.
Who We Are
SEMIRC’s members are experts and practitioners from the region’s refugee resettlement and immigrant services community who represent over 50 organizations across refugee resettlement, social services, government, workforce development, education, faith, legal services, advocacy, and more.
SEMIRC’s Mission
The Southeast Michigan Immigrant and Refugee Collaborative coordinates a robust multi-sector system of support for people seeking refuge and safety to improve social, civic and economic inclusion outcomes and ensure that they have opportunities to build rich and fulfilling lives, in turn contributing to a more vibrant and prosperous Southeast Michigan.
