News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Hundreds rally in Birmingham in support of immigrant rights

Published

1 month ago

February 22, 2025

Staff Editor

alabamareflector.com – Alander Rocha – 2025-02-22 18:18:00

Hundreds rally in Birmingham in support of immigrant rights

by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
February 22, 2025

BIRMINGHAM — Nine-year-old Callan Medina joined his parents and at least 500 immigrants and supporters in Birmingham Saturday for a simple reason.

“They like it here,” Medina said.

The protest at Railroad Park in support of immigrants comes as the Trump administration is moving to rapidly deport those without legal status and as the Alabama Legislature has advanced several bills targeting immigrants in the 2025 session.

The bills would ban driver’s licenses from at least two states issued to migrants in the country without permission; ban transporting immigrants without status into Alabama and require law enforcement to collect DNA and fingerprints from detained migrants.

Callan Medina holds a sign at a protest of anti-immigration bills in the Alabama Legislature on February 22, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector)

Another bill would allow law enforcement to hold someone they suspect is in the country without permission in custody for up to 48 hours until they verify their legal status with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Alabama’s immigrant communities are small compared to the rest of the country. According to the U.S. Census, only 4% of the state’s population is foreign-born. In the United States as a whole, 14.3% of the population was born in another country.

People started trickling in the park entrance around 1 p.m., but quickly picked up within an hour, with hundreds of people, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder so they could hear the speakers, showing up before the crowd marched up and down 1st Avenue in downtown Birmingham. As they marched, the crowd chanted, “Say it loud and say it clear, immigrants are welcomed here,” and “The people united, will never be divided.”

Isabella Roque, a 14-year-old from Birmingham, said she was here “to fight for everyone who doesn’t have a voice,” like her “tios” and “tias,” or uncles and aunts. She said she hopes people understand that different people have different stories, and that “you never know what every person is going through.”

“I hope that we make people realize what they’re doing is wrong, and that America was built off Black and brown [people], and that they realize basically what they’re doing is wrong,” Roque said.

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The protest was organized by young college students, who said they feel they not only have the feel like its up to them to organize because so many people in the community are “voiceless.”

Isabella Castro, a University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) student and one of the organizers said to the crowd that she stood in there “recognizing her privilege” of advocating, but also the privilege to work and go to school.

“Dignity and human rights are not only privileges granted to some, but they are a birthright to every individual,” she said.

Protesters march around Railroad Park during a rally against bills targeting immigrants on Feb. 22, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. About 500 people attended the rally. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector)

Miguel Luna, a University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) and one of the organizers, said in a speech that they were there to fight for all immigrants, from DACA students who may feel uncertainty about their status to those fleeing violence in their home countries, and to remind lawmakers that they are united and and their voice “can and will make a difference.”

Luna said he was there to “demand” leaders in Birmingham, Alabama and the U.S. recognize the contribution of the immigrant community and work towards creating a path to citizenship.

“[My parents] came here like so many others, with dreams of a better future, not just for themselves, but for their children, for their families and for the generations to come. They have worked tirelessly, tirelessly, contributing to this country in ways that are often unseen yet invaluable,” Luna said.

He added immigrants have built homes, raised families, paid taxes and “enriched our communities with their cultures, labor and their resilience.”

“Yet, despite their sacrifices, despite their contributions, immigrants in this country, our families, our friends, our neighbors, are constantly under attack, policies are being written not to uplift them, but to push them into the shadows,” Luna said.

Castro and Luna are also plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against a state law barring public funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Juan Manuel Garcia, a Birmingham resident who immigrated with his wife from Mexico nearly 30 years ago, said that after President Donald Trump came into office, it’s been a different way of living each day.

“We try to live today because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. So, everyone is very worried. It’s depressing. It’s sad. Too many emotions,” Garcia said in an interview, which was conducted in Spanish.

He said that they are here in search of the “American dream” and for a better future.

“If we’re here, it’s because we want a future for our families, especially our children, my wife,” he said.

This story was updated at 7:29 p.m. to correct Callan Medina’s first name.

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Alabama immigration enforcement bill gets approval from 2nd House committee

Published

2 hours ago

April 3, 2025

Staff Editor

alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-04-03 06:57:00

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
April 3, 2025

An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved an immigration bill that had already received another committee’s approval earlier in the session.

The House Judiciary Committee approved HB 7, sponsored by Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, which would give local law enforcement the authority to enforce the country’s immigration laws.

“There are no new laws added,” Yarbrough said to committee members during the meeting. “It simply allows that partnership to take place just to address safety in our communities.”

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Judiciary approved the bill about six weeks after the House Public Safety and Homeland Security did so in February. It is unusual for a bill to go through two committees before going to the floor of the House for a vote. The last major legislation to get routed through two House committees was the bill legalizing medical cannabis in Alabama in 2021.

The current bill, largely unchanged from last year, allows local law enforcement, such as sheriff’s offices and police departments, to enter into agreements with federal agencies to arrest and detain people who are not legally authorized to reside in the country.

Once in custody, deputies and police officers must then attempt to determine a person’s immigration status and get the help of an interpreter to determine someone’s nationality.

If a person cannot provide documentation proving they are eligible to live in the country, local law enforcement may then reach out to a Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) to get information about a person’s immigration status.

The bill states that people cannot be detained solely because of their immigration status unless authorized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that sheriffs’ deputies and police departments will verify that a person has an arrest warrant within 24 hours of the person getting detained.

Law enforcement must also obtain documents to verify a person’s immigration status, bet that a passport or a permanent resident card.

House Judiciary Committee members approved an amendment making a few of the requirements optional. A previous version required the Alabama Attorney General’s Office to publicly name any agency failing to comply with provisions in the legislation and notify the governor’s office.

The updated language gives the AG’s Office an option to inform the Governor’s Office.

Another amendment also allows, but doesn’t require, local law enforcement to report the total number of people arrested and the number of foreign nationals they take into custody as well as the inquiries they make to the LESC.

Immigration advocates who spoke at a public hearing on the legislation in March said the legislation is creating fear among immigrant communities. That, they said, would lead to mistrust toward law enforcement and increased school truancy for children of immigrants who are afraid to attend school for fear of their parents being deported.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee criticized the legislation.

“What country do we border in Alabama?” asked Rep. Penni McClammy, D-Montgomery during the committee meeting Wednesday.

Yarbrough said that every state is connected, and that people travel.

“Each state doesn’t have a physical wall, so people travel from state to state,” Yarbrough said.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

New Tariffs Could Raise Car Prices | April 2, 2025 | News 19 at 10 p.m.

Published

11 hours ago

April 2, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WHNT News 19 – 2025-04-02 22:15:12

SUMMARY: A 25% tariff on foreign cars and auto parts is set to take effect at midnight, potentially raising prices for consumers. While current inventory and cars already at U.S. ports will remain at existing prices, future pricing remains uncertain. Dealerships in North Alabama say it’s too early to know the full impact, but warn that repair costs may also rise due to higher parts prices. Some manufacturers may absorb part of the tariff, while others could pass the full cost to buyers—raising a $30,000 car to nearly $40,000. Dealerships report a recent surge in buyers trying to purchase before prices rise.

A 25% tariff on any foreign cars or auto parts will go into effect in a couple of hours.

News 19 is North Alabama’s News Leader! We are the CBS affiliate in North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley since November 28, 1963.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Weather Fun 1on1: Brylee explains why thunderstorms occur more often in the summer than in the wi…

Published

11 hours ago

April 2, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WVTM 13 News – 2025-04-02 22:03:30

SUMMARY: Meteorologist Brylee Brown explains why thunderstorms are more common in summer than winter in her “Weather Fun 1-on-1” segment. Joined by Aidan, they conduct an experiment using two bowls of air at different temperatures. The warm air inflates a balloon, demonstrating that warm air is less dense and rises, while cold air causes the balloon to deflate. This principle helps explain why summer afternoons often bring air mass thunderstorms, as humid, warm air is abundant. In winter, less warm air means these storms are rare. For more weather science resources, viewers can scan a QR code or visit the website.