ENTERPRISE — Concerned citizens met on Tuesday evening to discuss the illegal immigration crisis, its impact on Alabama and Coffee County, and possible solutions.
South Alabama Liberty organized the meeting as a follow-up to the September 19 meeting with whistleblower and former Trump adviser Jay Palmer.
Acting meeting foreman Joe Roughneen said, "The administration's use of parole is an abuse of congressionally granted authority – which limits the power to be used only for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."
In his presentation, Roughneen noted the following:
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 created a limited immigration parole authority for the Secretary of Homeland Security, but it has been repeatedly abused since its inception.
In April 2022, the Biden-Harris administration created a parole process for Ukrainians. In October 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expanded the program to include otherwise inadmissible Venezuelans, and in January 2023, DHS added Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans.
These parolees receive little vetting. While they are required to attest to having received vaccinations, no verification is required.
A record 1,340,002 parolees were admitted in fiscal year (FY) 2023, more than the 900,000 Green Cards/ Lawful Permanent Residents admitted in FY 2023.
The CHNV Parole Program is "just one of many tools" deployed by open border advocates.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently admitted that there are over 660,000 illegal aliens in the United States with criminal records, including over 13,000 convicted murderers.
There were 91,000 illegal aliens in Alabama in 2023, costing state taxpayers $524 million.
Illegals can apply to work and "have nearly full access to benefits," including housing provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) for up to five years.
The government is not required to reveal the identities of immigration sponsors. Even parolees can qualify to sponsor immigrants in the program.
Roughneen cited a quote from Attorney General Steve Marshall, who revealed, "[S]ponsorship is fiction…there is no support for those who are coming in, financially, helping find housing, helping find jobs, providing integration into the community."
He noted that states, communities and even elected officials are not being notified about Haitians and other illegal aliens being dropped off because there is no statutory requirement to do so.
"They're pretty much not treating states like states…" added Roughneen. "They're just basically saying you're going to take people…and you're not even told…"
Enterprise Police Chief Michael Moore explained how Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) program migrants can obtain firearms through a state hunting license.
Clint Grantham, a candidate for Coffee County District 1 commissioner, connected the illegal immigration crisis to the Cloward-Piven strategy, outlined in 1966 by Columbia University sociologists Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. The strategy called to implement socialism by overwhelming and collapsing the public welfare system.
"Law enforcement is overwhelmed," said Grantham. "Not here yet, but nationwide… The Cloward-Piven strategy is exactly how you change a society fundamentally. You overload every system. You overload schools…hospitals… People fundamentally want to destroy your country… This is what they told us they would do."
Sheriff Scott Byrd and Moore reiterated their commitment to upholding the law and protecting the residents of Coffee County. Byrd stated, "I can't control the borders, but I can control Coffee County crime."
"Lawfare is going to continue if Trump wins," predicted Roughneen."
Grantham noted that these programs were "created to be very difficult to dismantle."
Roughneen highlighted Alabama's support of the Texas legal challenge to the CHNV parole program, which is still tied up in the courts.
Organizers recommended creating a Coffee County hotline to report incidents and separate fact from speculation. They also recommended signing petitions and coordinating with other Alabama conservative groups to ask Gov. Kay Iveyvto call for a special session to address the illegal immigration crisis.
"We don't just vote and go home…" said Roughneen. "We have to make sure that our officials know what our will is, because it's our government, right?"
Grantham said the average state legislator receives only eight calls yearly from constituents. He urged citizens to encourage their elected officials to stand up and tell them, "When you do something, I've got your back. I'm going to stand with you."
"Action gets action…" added Grantham. "If you refuse to sit down, we will find a path to get us through this as easily as possible."
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