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The appearance of buses in several north Alabama cities last week prompted questions and community meetings about Haitian immigration in the state.
Last week, photographs of people entering and exiting charter buses in Albertville were shared on Facebook, with users questioning what purpose the buses served, who was on them, and where they were coming from.
Pilgrim’s Pride later issued statements say it had chartered the buses for employees to and from its Russellville plant. The company then said it would no longer use charters.
But residents of several north Alabama communities have expressed anger over their presence.
One speaker at a meeting in Albertville said Haitians “have smells to them. They’re not like us. They’re not here to be Americanized. They don’t care about schools. They’re scary, folks.”
In Athens, City Councilman Chris Seibert was confronted at a council meeting about his renting properties to Haitian workers.
At the two meetings, people expressed concerns about the presence of Haitians in schools, and whether the immigrants work and vote illegally.
“I think I understand the real root of this, and maybe you guys need to do some soul searching,” Seibert said, according to The Decatur Daily.
Here is a look at some of those claims and the facts behind them:
Are these undocumented workers coming to Alabama?
Poultry processor Pilgrim’s Pride, the employer which originally chartered the buses that began the controversy, said the workers in question are eligible to work under U.S. law.
Can immigrants vote?
At Tuesday’s community meeting in Albertville, speaker Jay Palmer said one driving force behind immigration is “the left, which wants a new voting population.” There was no mention of a bipartisan immigration reform bill that died after opposition from former Trump.
AL.com
