OFTEN TIMES, MIGRANTS NEED HELP TO GET TO WHERE THEY NEED TO GO

THEY NEED THE SUPPORT OF COMMUNITIES TO GET THEM FROM POINT A TO POINT B

THAT'S WHERE THE BIRMINGHAM MIGRANT TRANSIT PROJECT COMES IN
In early December the ALIRP was asked by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Alabama Field Office to coordinate assistance to migrants being released from immigration detention facilities in Louisiana in response to the anticipated lifting of Title 42, a public health measure that was put in place during the COVID pandemic by the Trump administration to block migrants from seeking asylum in the US.​ ​Because of a November 15 court order, it was anticipated that Title 42 would end on December 21. On December 19, however, the Supreme Court granted an administrative stay, allowing Title 42 to remain in place while the Supreme Court considers whether to allow the regulation to continue.
At that time, the ALIRP reached out to the ICE Field Office in Alabama and was informed that ICE still planned to transport migrants released from Louisiana detention facilities to Birmingham to prepare for a future lifting of Title 42. ALIRP thus continued with plans for the Birmingham Migrant Transit Project to receive migrants transported to Birmingham from a Louisiana immigration detention facility on January 11, 18, and 25. We planned to welcome 50 migrants on each of these Wednesdays at Trinity West United Methodist Church in Homewood, provide them with warm food and clothing, and help them make arrangements to travel to their sponsors in cities throughout the United States. We disseminated information about the project widely and have been amazed and gratified by the number of volunteers who have signed up to help and the financial donations that we have received.   

On January 3, however, an ICE agent from the field office in Alabama updated ALIRP the lifting of Title 42 has been delayed and there will be fewer border crossings at this time and thus fewer migrants processed through and released from detention in Louisiana. With fewer anticipated migrants, ICE has determined that they will be able to continue managing the transportation needs of migrants released from detention in Louisiana with the existing infrastructure in Louisiana. There is thus no longer a need to transport the migrants to Birmingham on the three dates in January as planned. The ICE agent expresses his sincere appreciation for all of our hard work to prepare to receive migrants in Birmingham, and anticipates that there will likely still be a need to organize a Migrant Transit Project in Birmingham when Title 42 is lifted in the future and increased numbers of migrants are processed through detention facilities in Louisiana. The exact date this will happen, however, is currently unknown.

Please know how grateful we are to each of you who stepped up to the plate to support this project by volunteering, or by providing financial support.  We will hold the financial donations for future migrant transit assistance efforts in Birmingham when Title 42 ends. If such assistance is not requested in Birmingham, we will use the funds to provide assistance to other asylum seekers in the Greater Birmingham area. If you would prefer to have your donation refunded to you, please email director@alirp.org expressing this wish by January 15. Please keep an eye out on this page and on our social media for communications about future renditions of this project, and other opportunities to support asylum seekers and refugees.

Check back for opportunities to support this effort in the future.

Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form to receive future communications about opportunities and needs.
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