FAIRHOPE — The Fairhope City Council heard from concerned citizens Monday night following what Mayor Sherry Sullivan called "rumors" about a possible influx of immigrants.
Citizens came out in droves after the release of a letter signed by Councilman Corey Martin and two state representatives dated "September 12, 2024" welcoming refugees and information that around 1,000 Haitian migrants could be resettled in Baldwin or Mobile Counties. So many people came to the meeting that chairs were placed in the lobby.
The citizens said they have seen what's happened in other parts of Alabama and the nation and want the city to be prepared.
Abby Unrath, of Magnolia Springs, told the emotional story of the deaths of her mother-in-law and another woman, who were both killed in a crash caused by a Haitian immigrant in Michigan.
"It seems slightly terrifying to be here to highlight our thoughts in a space of contentious debate and place ourselves on the chopping block of public conversation and strong opinion," Unrath said while fighting tears. "… But as I grow older and my children grow older, I start to recognize the politics and policies around the world and how it affects everything around us. I feel it's more than wrong to sit back and complain rather than to rise up and speak out."
"I'm a mother, a Christian," she continued. "I'm not racist. I'm compassionate, I'm not a bigot. And I'm certainly not a pretentious and entitled. I'm a wife. I'm a mom. I seek to be compassionate and caring and understanding."
"I seek to live a life that honors God and honors others, loves others, that gives and cares to for others," Unrath added. "I'm also a mom of five daughters. If my desire to help others endangered my own children by removing the locks on my doors and welcoming handfuls of young men in, would that be the right thing to do in the name of compassion?"
Mayor Sherry Sullivan and council members addressed the crowd. Sullivan said the city has not received any notification of the resettlement of a large number of migrants in Fairhope, and she does not expect that to happen.
"I want to assure the residents of Fairhope and Baldwin County that all of your elected officials from the federal level to the local level are working together and do not take this situation lightly," Sullivan said. "The laws surrounding immigration are complex and change frequently, and too often, the task of enforcement and providing resources fall on the local communities that are least equipped to deal with the challenges."
"In Fairhope, we will enforce these laws, but we have little to say in how they are written," she said. "We will also enforce all local laws to make sure our community and citizens are safe. Our country has a long and proud history as a safe haven for those fleeing oppression, but our country also has a responsibility to ensure that immigration does not place undue burden on our citizens or on our limited resources."
Sullivan said that enforcing immigration laws and fixing the flawed system should be a top priority on a federal level.
As for the letter signed by Martin, Sullivan said he was well-meaning when he signed "what he thought was a simple petition to support the women and children impacted by the Ukrainian War."
"He never intended to bring illegal legal immigrants to our area," she added. "I want to make sure our residents understand that council members have no power individually. To have power, the council must be in session and pass a resolution or an ordinance by majority vote."
Martin also addressed the issue, saying the letter he signed was signed in 2022 to support women and children in Ukraine, as another signee told 1819 News last week. While Martin refused to respond directly to 1819 News to the letter by Welcoming Refugees, he did respond publicly Monday night.
He signed the letter because he supported the refugee program, which he said has existed since the 1980s.
"I hope and pray that those of you that know me know that I don't believe in anything illegal," Martin said. "So, it kind of hurt me at first when people took that, with all the work that I've done and put into this community, that they would just believe such a thing as if, without calling and the people that did call me, I really appreciate you guys."
State Sen. Jennifer Fidler (R-Silverhill) said she has been in talks with other local, state and federal officials and the people of Baldwin County.
"As you know, we have a large influx of non-English speaking folks in our more rural schools, not necessarily Fairhope, but Silverhill has 26% of their class is non-English speaking," she said. "There's an issue with teaching English to those students. Summerdale's 30% and in Baldwin County, we have upwards of 40% of our students who speak non-English or are trying to learn English."
As immigration issues arise across the state, Fidler said she is educating herself on the process and hopes lawmakers can make changes on the state level to address some of the issues already being seen.
Rebecca Watson, a Fairhope resident and chair for the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, said she has already experienced firsthand what federal policy has done to Baldwin County. Watson was involved in a crash with an illegal immigrant in Baldwin County. She said the driver had no driver's license or insurance and was not arrested. Watson and her children were hurt and she claimed she had to pay for damages out-of-pocket.
Watson said she listened to what Martin said, and she felt he was "gaslighting." The crowd cheered as Watson continued. She said residents showed up in droves because of the letter he signed.
Watson highlighted a part of the letter that stated, "We continually hear from our constituents that they believe in and support refugee resettlement. From greeting refugee families at the airport to assisting with English language classes or navigating bus lines, our communities stand for welcome."
"I don't remember you asking anybody that's here how they felt about that, and you signed a letter on behalf of your position representing our city, and that is a huge problem for me," Watson told Martin. "If you're going to sign a letter like that and you represent our city, then you need to ask the constituents how they feel about it."
Doug Greengard said he felt concerned citizens were "roughed up" by the council at the beginning of the meeting just for coming forward. He said throughout the years, he hasn't felt heard when coming forward about anything, including inappropriate material in the children's section of the library.
"I know is what I've experienced here and from you all who say you want to communicate, we get nothing," he said.
Greengard read headlines from four 1819 News stories that showcase issues local municipalities are having concerning migrant influxes. He said those cases are examples of why people are worried.
Many residents said they just want the city to have a plan. Some who moved from Oregon to other states warned leaders need to be vigilant.
Dev Wakeley said those expressing concerns are all a part of a political movement. Martin shook his head in agreement and smiled at Wakeley's comment. Wakeley added the movement is meant to create outrage, take over, attack and hurt.
"Folks, I have stood in front of the League of the South; I've stood in front of the klan and this is the klan in slacks," Wakeley said.
Wakeley was the only resident to come forward to speak against concerned citizens.
Martin said he wants to move forward and not divide the community.
"The thing that I did, I had no idea that it was going to turn into this," he said. "Had no idea. All I wanted to do was support that particular program because there were people that needed that program and they asked me, and I said yes. If you want to fault me for that, I'll take it. I'll take it."
Martin encouraged residents to communicate and talk to one another.
"We are in this together," he said.
It is unclear what "illegal" actions Martin was referring to when he addressed citizens and he refused to take questions from 1819 News following the meeting.
Councilman Jack Burrell said that, ahead of the meeting, rumors spread that the council was going to pass a resolution inviting migrants to the city. He said the council has never discussed or supported inviting migrants to Fairhope.
"There was never a hidden agenda," Burrell said. "We're not going to come back in a week and have a, you know, a vote. I mean, it's just, it's not going to happen."
1819 News never reported there were plans to bring migrants to Fairhope. However, immigration whistleblower Jay Palmer did tell 1819 News there were plans to send around 1,000 Haitian migrants to Baldwin and/or Mobile Counties in the coming weeks. Palmer, who works with Haitian pastors, said the pastors were alerted to the influx by a non-governmental organization which assists migrants.
As previously reported, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) expressed his skepticism about the proposal because of the affordability of housing in Baldwin County.
Baldwin County Commissioner Matt McKenzie said the county has not been made aware of an influx of migrants to the area by any officials. Other cities across the state, such as Sylacauga, confirmed they were not alerted by federal officials when migrants moved into their area.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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