About 150 people gathered Tuesday night at an Albertville church, voicing frustrations over what they say is inaction at local, state and federal levels to stem the effects of immigration.
Gerilyinn Hanson, an electrical contractor, was one of the organizers of the meeting. She said it accomplished one of its goals.
“We had it to bring the anger that, a few days ago, was up here,” she said, placing her hand above her head, “to here,” lowering it a few feet down.
“We needed to talk about this without all the racial slurs and without the slang. Because we’re not looking for arguments. We’re looking for solutions.”
The anger Hanson spoke of erupted last week when photographs of people entering and exiting charter buses in Albertville were shared on Facebook, with users questioning what purpose the buses served, who was on them, and where they were coming from.
Poultry producer Pilgrim’s Pride was using charter buses to transport workers from to and from its newly expanded Russellville plant. The company later announced it would no longer use the buses.
But by that time, residents had vented frustration over what they say is years of enaction in properly enforcing building and electrical codes, legal occupancy in residential homes, and nuisance abatement.
There was lot of talk of “open borders,” enough that city leaders issued a statement against what it called “a climate of controversy, baseless accusations, and hurtful rhetoric.”
David McMillen, pastor of the church, was worried about what tone the meeting might take. Before the program began, he told the audience that they were “not here to fuss and throw fits.” He then retold the story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus used to show who a neighbor is, he said.
McMillen said he felt the community members had conducted themselves well, and that something good might come of it.
“I understand the frustrations,” he said. “The city has had these issues for a long time here.”
The main speaker was Jay Palmer, a native of Eufaula who testified before Congress in 2015 on immigration issues. Palmer was the whistleblower in a case that led to a $34 million settlement with tech giant Infosys to settle charges of visa fraud.
“There’s a lot your city can do and a lot that it can’t,” he said. Palmer said local officials are limited in what they can do about immigration.
But he blamed companies wanting cheap labor which he said draw immigrants to the area, and “the left, which wants a new voting population,” he said.
“The current (Biden) administration is looking for mass amnesty,” he said. “The reason they’re doing these things is for votes.”
There was no mention of a bipartisan immigration reform bill that died earlier this year after opposition from former President Donald Trump.
But the gathering at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church occasionally grew heated. One speaker said Haitians “have smells to them. They’re not like us. They’re not here to be Americanized. They don’t care about schools. They’re scary, folks.”
Other comments dealt with city police, which some said don’t have enough officers or funding to deal with issues caused by immigration and proper code enforcement.
If the city were able to adequately enforce housing codes, some said, it would cause a homeless problem.
But individuals who came to the meeting also expressed concern for the city’s immigrant population. Hanson cited the buses, which had touched off the meeting.
She said workers ride in a bus for three hours to work 10 hours, only to look forward to a three-hour bus ride home.
Other attendees spoke of their concern for the school children they see who come from immigrant families. One person asked if there had been any church outreaches to the city’s Haitian community.
Enrique Gomez is the son of a Spanish immigrant from Barcelona. He said his family “learned English, paid taxes and supports America.” But he said local, state and federal entities are doing nothing about issues such as raw sewage flowing into watersheds.
Lisa Williams, a 25-year resident of Albertville, said people living in the city are frustrated that, if they report unkempt yards or code violations, nothing happens.
“City leaders, they see all this,” she said. “It’s not about somebody’s color. It’s about doing the right thing.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-13 15:05:00
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