Sylacauga District 5 Councilwoman Laura Barlow Heath is still seeking answers to address constituents' concerns about the increasing influx of Haitian migrants into town.
At the September 5 City Council meeting, District 2 Councilwoman Tiffany Nix shut down public comment when the citizens asked for an explanation of this sudden wave and why it was occurring.
"I've always been known on the Council as being an investigator," Heath told 1819 News. "I'm going to investigate them, and we'll have everything, you know, figured out. We'll have concrete proof of it. And it's like putting a puzzle together."
However, the challenges and stonewalling at multiple levels of bureaucracy are even stumping Heath's investigative skills.
"I work for the people and my people are alarmed. You know, I got a job to do, and it's hard to do your job when you're just constantly hitting roadblocks and dead ends, and there's no answers to give to the people."
Heath said she had a productive meeting with Congressman Mike Rogers's (R-Saks) assistant, and they worked to put the puzzle pieces they did have in place.
"It was like you were missing all the middle pieces that made the puzzle, you know? Heath said. "I hate to not have information for the people, but it's not from the lack of trying."
The citizens' alarm and Heath's grave concerns over migrants flooding the town have nothing to do with race and everything to do with resources.
"It's a Catch-22 with the entire situation. It's not fair to anybody," Heath stated. "And it's especially not fair to city leaders who do not have the adequate resources to provide to the community. I mean, it takes away from the people we serve."
Heath first noticed the migrants in January, and since then, there has been a steady increase. People have reported to Heath cars with Florida plates dropping off Haitian migrants and then abruptly leaving town.
Unlike other cities and counties affected by the migrant influx, like Athens and Marshall County, Sylacauga has limited housing and even more limited employment. The language barrier is a major roadblock: the town will have to pay for a translator who can communicate in Haitian Creole, as the lack of even rudimentary communication makes it difficult to respond to an emergency.
Heath has also been in communication with State Senators Lance Bell (R-Springville) and Keith Kelly (R-Anniston). Bell will be part of a team of lawmakers going to the Southern border and taking meeting with the Department of Homeland Security to address these migrant concerns.
On September 24, Mayor Jim Heigl, the city council, and the Talladega County Commission will partner with Bell, Kelly and State Rep. Ben Robbins (R-Sylacauga) for a Town Hall.
The hope is that lawmakers will have made some headway on this issue and have answers that allude to Heath for the citizens of Sylacauga.
"If there is information, he'll [Bell] bring that information back, you know?" Heath said. "He may not get anywhere, he may see there's not a lot of information out there, but I'm hoping that there will be something that he can provide to the people from his trip. I just, we need answers. The people need answers, and you know, I feel like it's like, well, the people feel misled, but they're not getting answers. But we're just as much in the dark as they are."
The full interview with City Councilwoman Laura Barlow Heath can be viewed here:
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
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