Four men were found sleeping under a busy overpass in London's Newham borough by members of what the Newham Recorder called "the award-winning Operation Alabama."

The operation, Tuesday's article continues, is "a joint initiative led by Newham Council and including Thames Reach, drug services, the Home Office and council-funded Metropolitan Police officers" that seeks to get people off the street.

Some say the effort, and others like it, unfairly target immigrants, while others say it helps those hurt by welfare benefits cuts and a lack of housing.

Whatever the purpose of the operation, it is not clear why it was called Alabama.

Recorder editor Michael Adkins wrote in response to an email from AL.com that he did not know how this came to be named operation Alabama.

"Thames Reach was not involved in selecting the name so we don't know how the decision was taken and this is something that you would need to pursue with the London Borough of Newham," the London charity that fights homelessness wrote in reply to a request from AL.com.

Efforts to reach the Newham Council were not immediately successful.

When the project was announced in January 2014, the council warned it had a "rude awakening" for "rough sleepers."

The operation was created, the notice added, because of complaints of the homeless "sleeping, drinking, urinating or taking drugs on the streets."

In November 2015, the operation was honored by the London Problem Orientated Partnership Awards.

"A total of 145 people were moved safely from the street into hostels and other accommodation, 35 were referred to drug and alcohol services, and 20 supported to return to their home countries," the award announcement stated.

The International Network of Street Papers in 2014 reported that Operation Alabama, and similar efforts, drew the ire of organizations supporting migrants and refugees.

"Our biggest concern at the moment is that the standard mainstream homeless charities are actually pushing people who haven't got permission to be in the country and, in their attempt to get them off the streets, they recommend they go back home," said Rita Chadha, head of Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London.

Tuesday's Recorder article noted two of the four sleeping under a bridge "were Lithuanian nationals who were not working legally in the country, meaning they have no right to public funds.

"They were offered the chance to return to their home country but refused. Newham Council said around half of all people found on the streets are EU nationals."