SYLACAUGA — Tempers ran hot during a Tuesday evening Sylacauga City Council meeting, where residents expressed differing views on the ongoing controversy surrounding Haitian immigrants flooding into the city.
For weeks, residents and lawmakers have sought answers to quell residents' concerns after it was revealed that Sylacauga is one of many areas in the state facing a recent wave of Haitian migration.
The issue first gained attention roughly two weeks ago, when council president Tiffany Nix shut down public comment during a council meeting after residents spoke about their concerns.
Since then, state and federal lawmakers have offered their take on the migrant influx, offering solutions while also expressing frustration at the lack of answers regarding the Biden administration's programs that facilitate immigration.
After hours of contentious council deliberation over various city issues at Tuesday's meeting, the public was again invited to voice concerns over any desired topic. That's when the issue of Haitian migration took center stage.
Before the public comment portion, councilwoman Laura Heath voted against certifying the minutes of the previous meeting, claiming she was falsely listed as voting in favor of abruptly adjourning the last meeting.
Nix began the comment portion by encouraging attendees to remain respectful while delivering their remarks, an exhortation she would have to repeat multiple times before the meeting was over.
Resident Mary Deason took the mic to voice complaints over the city council's behavior during the last meeting, accusing the members of being rude. Several other residents also criticized the council's action in adjourning the meeting without directly addressing the immigration issue.
Another resident, Charles Mackin, rebuked the council and its attitude towards speakers while slamming them for their perceived slackness in handling the immigrant issue.
"Non-respectable speech is still protected speech," Mackin said. "And this is a public forum so we have every right to say what we have in out mind and our opinion while we we're here."
Mackin went on to state that he believes further migration to the area, with the assistance of federal funds, would cause the price of housing and other amenities to skyrocket. He also opined that the majority of the migrants are "military-aged males" and that this would likely lead to an increase in crime in the area.
"We all know how that works, a landlord, all they have to do is just tell the feds that it's $5,000 a month for this little old one-bedroom apartment or whatever, and it's really only, what? $800 a month. But, at the same time, they're getting their money from the federal government; it's raising prices on everything else around in this community. It's hurting us. It's raising tax values on properties."
Resident James Hope was the only speaker to get engagement from the council after directly asking about their involvement and engagement with Haitians in the community.
In response to Hope's questions, Nix and Councilman Ashton Fowler revealed that they had both met with several Haitian immigrants while receiving little information about what federal programs facilitated their arrival.
"I spent quite a bit of time out there Sunday because I wanted to hear from the horse's mouth," Nix said. "I know there's been a lot of stuff posted on social media, there's a lot of things that people are saying, so the way I operate, I wanted to go see them and see what they had to say."
"The way it works is, they are here on a visa. They do have papers. There's an 18-month visa. So they're being employed by a temp service; I don't know which temp service it is, but from what they were telling me, the temp service employs them, and then the assignments only last for three months. So, when the assignments end, they just go somewhere else to find employment."
Nix insisted, based on the information she obtained, that word-of-mouth alone causes an immigrant to choose one city over another. She seemed not to share residents' concerns about safety or economic impact, noting that they were "just here for work."
"[T]he people that are here today, they might not even be here tomorrow," Nix continued. "So, if they can't find work here, then they'll just go to the next city, wherever somebody else is, to just find work."
Fowler clarified that, depending on the federal programs, immigrants could either have an 18 or 24-month program. He also emphasized the lack of extensive information the city council could give regarding federal immigration policy, encouraging citizens to attend a meeting of state and federal lawmakers next week, where those issues could be more thoroughly fleshed out.
Not all speakers were opposed to the immigrant influx. Resident Craig Patterson gave an impassioned defense of the immigrant's right to live and work in the city, claiming the reaction to the Haitians was due to them being black.
"I didn't hear a peep when there were Croatians working at Coosa Valley Healthcare; nobody was asking about their immigration status, if they were legally vetted," he said. "We have a large Mexican population in this town. I don't hear anybody crying about their immigration status. Are they here legal or illegal? But then you go to all these restaurants and different businesses in town, they're working there. You still go in there spending your money."
"I don't hear anybody questioning the immigration status of all the people from the Middle East that are buying up convenience stores, gas stations and restaurants, with Mexicans cooking in them. And you're going there, spending your money, not concerned about if they're taking your money, their profits, send it back to the Middle East supporting terrorism."
He continued, "The bottom line is, you mad because they brought some black people to Sylacauga, and that's it."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
