Sylacauga City Councilwoman Laura Barlow Heath is still seeking answers about the recent influx of Haitian migrants into her community.
On Thursday, Heath was featured in a segment on Fox News Channel’s “The Ingraham Angle” alongside Max Brooks, a Castle Rock, Colo. town council member.
Heath began by recounting a recent council meeting that was abruptly cut short after residents began expressing concerns about immigration.
“It was a sad day for our community, and it was disheartening to see the people that we represent shut down,” she told host Laura Ingraham. “They elected us to be their voice, their representatives, and they’re not heard. They were not validated. And they bring very rather large concerns to the table and we need to hear those, although we are not given answers.”
Heath said she had learned the migrants were brought in from Florida seeking jobs, but many have yet to gain employment.
“We have no answers to give to the people. There’s been lots of research by our state representatives and there‘s still very limited answers. All we know is these people are here with work permits, not work visas, and that they are seeking jobs. And there’s a big language barrier between us and it’s hard to communicate with them to get more information directly from the source.”
Brooks said about 45,000 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, had been brought to the Denver area. Given the impact on the larger metropolitan area, he couldn’t “even imagine how it is in very small communities in Alabama and Springfield, Ohio.”
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