And I want to thank Councilwoman Watkins for her earlier comments on the issue on which I just want to make a statement.
We appreciate your directness regarding your position and where you stand on the issues regarding ICE.
I grew up in Huntsville and I have deep roots here.
I stayed in Challenger Elementary, Mount Gatt Middle, Grissom High School.
My children, who are here, currently is in Mount Gatt and down in Grissom.
When I left for college - my holidays - in 2000 I left for college and then moved to Atlanta for a short time.
My husband and I decided to move back to Huntsville because this is a special place.
We didn't want to raise our children anywhere else.
By trade, I'm an attorney who runs a small practice here in Huntsville.
There are many other attorneys who agree with what I'm going to say, but stay quiet because speaking publicly or posting social media content about politics can affect your job security.
Tonight, I speak for all of us.
I love this country.
I love the law because it protects the rights of all.
Due process is the cornerstone of American justice.
It protects each of us from the arbitrary exercise of government power.
I am deeply concerned about the recent actions of the Department of Homeland Security and other communities around the nation, and I don't want Huntsville to suffer the same fate.
Vision for a moment that you're taking a nap in your home when men wearing masks force their way inside.
They cuff you.
They lead you out the front door and into the street.
It's full of freezing, and you're only wearing sandals and your underwear, a blanket wrapped around your shoulders.
Now visualize that you hear a knock on your front door and your five-year-old son is there.
A masked individual has your kid wrapped by a fridge by the backpack.
He's wearing a fuzzy blue bunny hat with the long ears.
He's terrified.
The state of Alabama has a strong Republican majority. A core value of the Republican Party is advocacy for less government oversight, not more.
Statements like we dare defend our rights, don't tread on me, can be seen on bumper stickers, flags, monuments all over the state.
This is objective proof that Alabamians desire personal freedom, self-reliance, and minimal government interference.
Whether we personally like it or not, the Constitution guarantees due process rights to all persons, not just citizens.
This means non-citizens, including undocumented immigrants, are entitled to fair treatment under the law.
Due process was so important to our founding fathers that it was extended to everyone as a basic human right.
Please raise your hand if you're here in support of lending federal government control over the people residing in this state.
When one person is deprived of their due process rights, it affects us all.
If concessions are allowed now, we send a precedent for exploitation later.
So my statement or question to you all at some point, when it's appropriate to answer, is that what is the plan of action to protect our citizens from illegal tactics currently being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement?