I grew up in Kalamazoo. When I was a youngster there were always some migrant workers in the area during the summer, working the harvest. There didn't seem to be so very many of them, and they didn't stick around after the harvest season. That has changed a lot over the years. When I visit now, I'm surprised at the number of Mexicans I encounter in restaurants and stores.
Kalamazoo has a lot of liberal-leaning folks, thanks in part to WMU. The Gazette leans left as well, so this article sympathetic to illegals doesn't come as any surprise.
They'll get no sympathy from me.
When I was a youngster there were always some migrant workers in the area during the summer, working the harvest. There didn't seem to be so very many of them, and they didn't stick around after the harvest season. It was that way here in Texas too, until the last 10 or 15 years. They come here and never leave now. Everywhere I go there are people who can't speak English and they move around in groups so at least one person can speak English at doctors offices, etc.