Pollution, immigration enforcement and affordable housing were top of mind Thursday when the city council hopefuls from District 6 spoke to residents at BridgeDetroit’s latest Meet the Candidates event.

It’s well documented that pollution from vehicles and industrial sources on both sides of the Detroit River takes a toll on Southwest Detroit residents’ health and quality of life.

Major sources of air pollution are scattered across the area, including Marathon, DTE Energy-owned EES Coke Battery, truck traffic servicing the Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal, and emissions from around 10,000 trucks that cross the Ambassador Bridge daily.

“We’ve probably been the most researched, studied zip code anywhere. We’re also tired of all the talk about pollution, and we need action,” said State Rep. Tyrone Carter, who represents Ecorse, River Rouge and parts of Detroit. “It’s not just a (Southwest Detroit) problem. It has impacted our lives. It has made people lose their lives from things like cancer.”

Carter is facing off against District 6 incumbent Gabriela Santiago-Romero in the general election. Anita Martin, a write-in candidate, also participated in the event Thursday.

Santiago-Romero said she is proud to have worked with Council to pass a fugitive dust ordinance earlier this year that requires facilities like scrapyards and concrete plants to control airborne particles linked to respiratory issues and other health problems. The proposal was in the works since 2022. 

“If you see dust in our communities, you can call our office to report those companies, Santiago-Romero said. “We’re also working on a truck route ordinance to prevent trucks from driving through neighborhoods. With the new bridge opening soon, truck traffic is likely to get a lot worse.”

Detroit has long been among the worst cities for air quality in the country. One way that manifests is with asthma rates. Last year, the Motor City was ranked the third-worst city to live in for those with asthma by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. 

A 2016 study warns that ongoing pollution issues could pose a risk for children in Southwest Detroit, who make up a more significant portion of the population than in other areas of the city.  

With still-developing bodies, younger residents are “particularly vulnerable to adverse health effects associated with exposure to air pollutants than other areas of the city,” according to the study.  

Aside from air quality and the effects of pollution, District 6 has been impacted heavily by gentrification. Residents in attendance at the Meet the Candidates event at the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation asked the candidates whether they would support affordable housing — and in what ways. 

“As we’re becoming the cool spot on the block, it’s displacing a lot of us. We’re being gentrified,” Santiago-Romero said. “We’re being pushed out. We need to make sure we can afford to stay here.”

Martin cited Area Median Income (AMI) as a measure that is unfair to Detroiters. AMI is calculated within the entire Detroit metro area, so it is inflated compared to incomes in the city alone. 

“When you’re living, you’re not just paying rent. There should be basic essential needs allowed within that AMI,” she said. 

Her other suggestions were filling vacant lots with tiny homes to create a “community within a community” and connecting with developers to bring back homes instead of “turning neighborhoods into solar farms.”

Detroit has plans to create solar arrays in five neighborhoods. Officials say the whole process has been resident-driven, and neighbors were heavily involved in designing the natural buffer zones around those sites.

Carter had a different take: “I’m tired of seeing tiny homes, I’m tired of seeing shipping containers… if we want to have families here, we need to build properties that are attainable for people who are making $20 an hour.”

Immigration also stood out as a major issue for residents in attendance. Carter pointed out that Southwest Detroit has a large Arabic-speaking population in addition to Spanish-speaking residents. He stressed the importance of information access. 

“We want them to understand their status. Every person here deserves to be treated decently,” he said. “I’m a retired police officer (with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office). We’re not going to use city dollars to enforce federal laws.”

The Detroit Police Department has a policy to not assist US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Border Patrol with deportations as part of an expanding federal policy. However, Detroit Police will show up if requested by either agency to help with crowd control. Detroiters saw this play out Monday when Detroit police officers arrested two people and used pepper spray on a group of protesters who attempted to stop ICE agents from detaining a man who was allegedly in the country illegally.

Santiago-Romero has made protecting residents in her district a priority even before she was elected to City Council and has said much of her community activism stems from her own experience as an immigrant. 

She said City Council has policies in place to outline how local police can and cannot interact with federal agents and that officers are not permitted to ask questions about someone’s immigration status. And she said she is spearheading other policies. 

She also cited a city effort to get an independent contractor for handling Detroit IDs. The program allows for any resident, regardless of immigration status, to get an ID that will allow them to apply for relief programs and other assistance. 

“Now that the Trump administration is going around FOIAing information, we have nothing to share with them,” she said. 

Carter cited an effort at the state level to help undocumented individuals in Michigan get driver’s licenses. The effort, which had been underway since 2008, ultimately failed to get traction. 

“Sometimes a loss is a blessing,” Carter said. “Can you imagine if the state had a database of all the undocumented immigrants?”

Santiago-Romero said everyone needs to be involved in helping those in need. 

“We’re bringing mutual care. If you know you have a neighbor who is undocumented with children, offer to take their children to school,” she said. “If you know a senior who needs to go to the doctor or has an illness, go pick up their medicine.”