As Alabama's leaders lament the ongoing influx of migrants entering the state, one organization that facilitates resettling refugees in Alabama claims to currently partner with the state legislature and has former House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, now the Madison County Commission chairman, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle on its board.
Much has been made in recent months, both in Alabama and nationwide, of the proliferation of immigrants flooding into smaller towns and communities. After several reports of specifically Haitian migrants arriving in towns like Athens and Sylacauga, Gov. Kay Ivey and lawmakers began speaking out against the influx, blaming the Biden administration.
The migrants initially showed up in local communities without any explanation. Lawmakers and those in the executive branch all claimed not to have been informed about the influx, where the migrants came from, and who settled them in the state.
Answers have been scant as to which non-profits or organizations are responsible for relocating migrants into the state and what legal status the migrants are here under. 1819 News has contacted multiple Alabama-based organizations, but none have confirmed their role in relocating migrants and refugees, Haitian or otherwise.
However, one non-profit stands alone in operating a refugee resettlement program while also boasting of an official partnership with the Alabama Legislature and several counties and municipalities.
Global Ties Alabama (GTA) is a Huntsville-based 501(c)3 nonprofit partner of the U.S. Department of State that “promotes global peace and understanding through citizen diplomacy.” GTA was founded as The International Services Council of Alabama in 1965 as an outreach of the Huntsville Rotary Club to welcome international military trainees to Redstone Arsenal
GTA claims public partnerships with some of the state’s most prominent universities, the Alabama Legislature, and the cities of Huntsville, Hoover, Birmingham, Madison, Mobile, and Montgomery. It also partners with several left-wing organizations, such as the SPLC, NAACP, Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), Alabama Appleseed and more.
GTA has many programs, one of which is a refugee resettlement program, which helps locate those with legal refugee status in the state. A legally defined refugee is a person who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country due to persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. GTA’s refugee program aids with housing, employment, and more.
Former Alabama House Speaker and current Madison County Commission chairman Mac McCutcheon and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle also serve as ex officio advisory council members of GTA.
While Battle did not return a request for comment from 1819 News, McCutcheon said he was aware of the GTA and boasted of its work.
“It’s an organization that works to help refugees and set up a place of housing, those people that have been approved by the federal government to be in our country,” McCutcheon said.
McCutcheon said he didn’t know what specific federal programs the refugees are under but said most groups he dealt with typically came from countries rocked by violence, which would include countries like Haiti, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and others.
“I haven’t heard of any negative responses based upon the work they’ve done, but when you get into the numbers and the specifics of how this process works, I’m really not the person to answer those questions correctly,” McCutcheon continued.
Notably, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Settlement does have specific programs for Cuban and Haitian refugees, offering “cash assistance, medical assistance, employment preparation, job placement, English language training, and other services.”
Days after speaking to McCutcheon, 1819 News contacted Stephanie Manning, the director of GTA’s refugee resettlement program, to clarify the program’s details.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been advised not to speak to the press at this time,” Manning said.
Manning’s refusal to speak makes it near impossible to parse the scope of GTA’s refugee program, how it’s funded, and to what extent the legislature and other counties and municipalities are involved.
The source of GTA’s funding is a mystery. The group’s IRS Form 990 provides little detail about specific grants and other revenue. GTA’s total revenue for 2023 was reported as just over $425,000, more than half coming from grants and contributions. In January, the city of Madison approved a $2,500 annual appropriation to GTA. However, it is still unclear whether GTA receives funds from the Alabama Legislature through its partnership.
Global Ties Taxes by Craig Monger on Scribd
It’s also unclear what the full extent of GTA’s partnership with the legislature entails, who approved this partnership and their involvement with one another.
1819 News contacted the offices of current House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) and Senate Senate Pro-Tem Greg Reed (R-Jasper) to inquire about the state’s involvement with GTA.
Ledbetter's communications diretor responded, "The Office of the Speaker has no relationship whatsoever with Global Ties Alabama. Additionally, the organization has received no appropriations from the Legislature."
A spokesman from Reed's office similarly denied any financial connection between Global Ties and Reed’s office. However, neither gave details on what partnership exists between the two.
“There is no connection between the Pro Tem’s office and Global Ties, and there are no budgetary allocations to the organization by the Alabama Legislature,” the statement read.
GTA lists its organization’s goals, which are identical to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a “universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.” They include:
· Quality Education
· Gender Equality
· Decent work and economic growth
· Industry, innovation and infrastructure
· Reduced inequalities
· Peace, justice and strong institutions
“Through our growth over the years, Global Ties Alabama has continually worked to provide well-planed [sic], efficacious programming that works to develop an increasingly global and interconnected society in Alabama and provide a foundation through which people-to-people ties can better the lives of our volunteers, resources, and participants and promote peaceful exchange across borders,” the GTA site reads.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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