ALBERTVILLE — Monday night's city council meeting in Albertville was ripe for controversy, with several people signing up to speak on immigration-related issues. However, to ease tensions and communication, members of Albertville's Haitian community and a grassroots group leading an effort to address residents' immigration concerns met at city hall in the mayor's office before the meeting.
"We're all in the same boat. We all live in the same city," said Gerilynn Hanson, who has been leading the way in voicing resident's frustrations with rising immigration. "If we are all working to make this city better, then we're all on the same page."
Hanson organized a community meeting last week, where over 200 people showed up to ask questions and express their opinions on issues facing the city. Whistleblower and immigration advisor Jay Palmer spoke and answered questions at the event. He's since been working with Hanson and the city to help find solutions to challenges brought on by rampant immigration.
Palmer said the major issue he was concerned about involved the area's many chicken plants and possible human labor trafficking. He said it wasn't uncommon for immigrant workers to be mistreated or for third-party employment agencies to demand a portion of immigrant workers' paychecks.
"Back in May of this year, 2024, the FBI and DHS raided a plant in Jasper, Alabama. Human trafficking and child labor trafficking was going on at that plant," Palmer said, adding that the Biden administration recently halted a flight program that brought in 30,000 people from Haitian and other countries due to fraud and trafficking allegations.
Despite efforts by some in the media to make the issue about race by focusing on one off-color remark at last Tuesday's meeting, Palmer said all he and others wanted to do in Albertville was "fight" for others who could not fight for themselves.
"There's no hate. There's only compassion and there's only to make sure there's no trafficking," he said. "...From what I know, I am concerned about human trafficking, the Haitian workers being treated correctly. That is my worry… No one should be working out of fear."
Palmer also questioned why, too often, multiple Haitian immigrants had to pack into small houses meant for a single family.
"They're supposed to be sponsored and financially taken care of. So who is getting the money where these people are having to double up like this? Are they not getting their money to live properly?" Palmer said.
Daniel Menard, one of the Haitian pastors at the pre-council meeting Monday, said he, too, was concerned with the housing situation and that he had been a "victim" of the situation Palmer described. He said housing was already an issue when he came to Albertville in 2012, and the need has only grown since then. Even now, he said his house serves as a "shelter" to help Haitian families with nowhere else to go.
"Especially the kids. My concern is about the kids. The amount of them that is supposed to be in a house," Menard said, by way of translation through Jeff Lamour.
Lamour, a local Haitian American businessman working as a liaison with the city, said Haitian immigrants were moving to Albertville for jobs, but they weren't just from government programs. Many come from other states, he said, like Indiana and Florida. Lamour emphasized that while every community had its bad actors, Haitians were not responsible for a higher rate of crime in the area.
Albertville Police Chief J.T. Cartee, who was also at the meeting along with Mayor Tracy Honea, said Pastor Johny Charles warned him of the worsening housing crisis.
"He told us this problem was coming. We got more people coming in than we got housing for. He said it was going to happen, and it's happened," Cartee said.
The group ended the meeting in prayer after agreeing to work together on uniting the city and bridging the gaps between various ethnic cultures and traditional American life.
The regular council meeting began shortly after with a packed room of people on both sides of the immigration issue. Hanson addressed the council, calling for teamwork and unity, followed by several other speakers including a young Haitian American woman who reminded the crowd of their Christian duty to love their neighbor.
Several city council members thanked the attendees for coming and expressing their concerns. Mayor Honea said the city and its leadership were "a work in progress," but he emphasized that Albertville was one cohesive community.
"There's nobody in this room or in this community that deserves to be in fear of anything," the mayor said. "...I don't care what color you are, folks. We're better than what some of us have shown in the last few days. I know there's been a lot of emotions through a lot of this, but at the end of the day, this is one hell of a community."
Honea admitted there was plenty for the city to improve on, but he called for an end to the "mixed messaging" surrounding Haitian and Hispanic immigrants. He and the council said they were committed to working with the community to address their concerns.
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on X and Facebook.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
