FAYETTEVILLE — State and local leaders held a town hall in Fayetteville to listen to county residents express concerns over the recent influx of Haitian immigrants and dispel alleged rumors that have circulated in the area.
The meeting was held at the packed-out Fayetteville Baptist Church, where residents from all over the region came to hear new information and express opinions on the immigrant situation.
The event organizers were skeptical of media coverage. Birmingham TV's ABC 33/40 was barred from the event.
A police officer also announced from the pulpit that anyone seen photographing or videoing the event would be asked to leave.
The meeting was held in response to community concern over a recent increase of Haitian immigrants in the area, amplified by the seemingly helpless reaction of local leadership who offered little answers for the recent surge and who had facilitated their transport to the rural area.
SEE: 'This is our city!' Sylacauga citizens shut down for questioning influx of Haitian migrants
Since the saga began, community speculation has run wild over who in the city or state was responsible for the immigrant influx, who profited from their arrival, and why they were sent to an area with already sparse resources for housing and employment like Sylacauga.
State Rep. Ben Robbins (R-Sylacauga) spoke Thursday for over an hour and a half, clarifying rumors surrounding the immigrants and discussing the limited information available from the federal government regarding the precise number of immigrants in the area and their official status.
In recent weeks, the prevailing rumor in the area was that an out-of-state developer was planning to set up a permanent mobile housing complex specifically for Haitian immigrants. The speculation began after a local business owner stated on social media that a federal contractor in Ohio had contacted him to transport over 100 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers to a location in Fayetteville to house the immigrants. 1819 News spoke to the business owner, who confirmed the story and said his communication with the federal contractor ceased after they could not arrive at a price compromise to transport the trailers.
According to Robbins, no permits have been requested or issued for the development of any housing site for immigrants in the city as of right now, which he says was confirmed by U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers' (R-Saks) congressional office. He further acknowledged that such permits could be applied for later.
"There have been no permits requested or issued through the Alabama Department of Public Health or the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for a mobile home, trailer park, subdivision, whatever you want to call it, for Fayetteville," Robbins said. "There is not one that's been requested. And Mike Rogers's office cannot confirm or find any information on FEMA trailers being moved to Fayetteville, Alabama. That does not mean that the federal government couldn't just do whatever they want to do. But even if the federal government wanted to move trailers in, they would have to get a permit."
Robbins continued by confirming the presence of Haitian immigrants in the city of Sylacauga but not in Fayetteville. He expects none to make their way into Fayetteville soon due to the city's lack of "cheap housing."
Robbins also emphasized the difference between his area and Marshall County, where Haitian immigrants were bussed in to work at a local chicken plant.
"There is no employer that brought them here," Robbins said. "We are different than Marshall County. We are different than other parts of the state. No one employer went out and found them."
He continued, "We are trying to find the link as to what brought them to Sylacauga and Talladega County, because they are also in Talladega. We do not know that for certain. But what is believed is that we have a multitude of factors here. It is not, as some people think, simply busload after busload after busload. It is what is called a diaspora, which is a slow trickle effect. A van load here. A van load there. A car here. A car there."
Robbins emphasized that the federal government holds exclusive blame for the immigrants' presence in the area and not the Haitians, who he believes have been mistreated through this process by being brought to an area that cannot support them. Depending on the federal programs, immigrants must have a supporter, also called a sponsor. Robbins accused many sponsors of signing off on immigrants, pocketing federal money, and leaving the immigrants in the lurch.
"As much as I think the federal government has let you down by allowing it to happen, it's also let that immigrant down," Robbins stated. "And they don't belong here, nor should they be here, but your anger should not be at that immigrant or that person. So, I don't want anyone in this room or anyone in our community to be aggressive or harmful to that immigrant. Because, when you do, you blacken our image and blacken the image of this community forever."
Most residents who spoke asked about solutions to the problem but received little relief when Robbins emphasized the federal government's sovereignty over immigration issues. Attendees expressed contempt for the federal government in facilitating the nation's perceived immigration crisis. However, there was a noted lack of vitriol directed towards the immigrants themselves, although nearly everyone attending made it clear they did not want Haitian migrants in their town.
"I hear you keep saying that the federal government has sovereignty over this state; I don't buy that," one attendee said. The federal government right now has committed treason against we the people. We in the state of Alabama cannot allow the federal government to control us like this. If it keeps happening, we're not going to have a country."
Robbins suggested a series of state interventions that could both disincentivize further immigration and make the area "unhospitable" for immigrants seeking lodging and occupation. He also proposed state taxes on sponsors and penalties if an immigrant engages in criminal activity.
"We have code enforcement; we need to use those," Robbins continued. "If you have too many people in one house, you can enforce the code. If you make it unhospitable to live there, they won't live there. But we are not currently using all of the tools at our disposal and there are plans on how do we, in a coordinated effort, enforce human trafficking laws, enforce code, enforce the laws that we already have."
Robbins also suggested that staffing agencies are complicit in paying referral fees to sponsors and others for sending immigrants to specific areas to work. He proposed reforming the referral fee process in the 2025 legislative session.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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