[thinkingtoilet]

I have some bad news for your friends. Cities are becoming more expensive everywhere regardless of immigration. Private equity is buying up houses/apartments en masse and "maximizing profit". Inflation is very real. Immigration will certainly be an issue in some cities, but it's not all roses everywhere else.

[mrtksn]

Exactly. People like to demonise the poor immigrants that would like to work and welcome the rich ones with open arms but the life has become so hard in cities especially due to the rich ones who don't add anything to the society because they don't even live there and even if they live, don't engage with the local population. They swoop in, claim the resources and actively extract them(for example by keeping the apartment empty).