Alabama conducts first state-federal checkpoint operations with ICE, detaining more than 20 people
GOP leadership backs expanded cooperation with federal immigration agents as checkpoints are conducted in multiple counties.
Alabama has conducted its first joint state-federal checkpoint operation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detaining more than 20 people over the past several days, according to officials and interviews with Fox News Digital. Gov. Kay Ivey told Fox News Digital that she directed the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA, and other cabinet agencies to work closely with ICE to catch criminal illegals. ALEA confirmed the operation, which included driver’s-license checkpoints in Franklin and Colbert counties with ICE agents present, and noted a Russellville bust in which at least 20 people were detained.
Driver license checkpoints occur across the state to stop criminals, Ivey said, adding that the effort now includes ICE agents. The Republican governor, who is term-limited next year, said that criminal illegal immigrants are not welcome and that every tool in the toolbox will be used to keep residents and visitors safe.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who has signaled a move from Washington to Montgomery next year, said he was glad to see ALEA collaborate with ICE. He told Fox News Digital that when 77 million Americans voted for President Trump, they sent a message that they want mass deportations, and they want them now. He urged other states to adopt such cooperation to crack down on illegal immigration.
House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, a Republican from Rainsville, also expressed support for Ivey’s approach. Ledbetter said there are states where leaders fight harder for criminals than for law-abiding citizens, and he expects the state-federal partnership to continue delivering positive results.
Birmingham immigration attorney Brett Pouncey told AL.com that many communities are also working with ICE to set up license-checking roadblocks, citing clients. Russellville community organizer Evelyn Servin told AL.com that police should not work with the feds, and claimed people in her area may be racially profiled and detained.
Throughout the summer, ICE conducted two dozen arrests in Baldwin County, at sites in Loxley along Interstate 10 north of Orange Beach and in Spanish Fort near the George Wallace Tunnel. An immigration advocate in that region suggested immigrants write phone numbers on their bodies to contact family if detained by ICE.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment and data; DHS did not respond immediately. Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital. He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant. Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital. Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
These operations come as immigration policy remains a political issue in Alabama and across the United States, with officials arguing that closer cooperation between state and federal authorities can enhance public safety, while critics raise concerns about civil rights and profiling. The events also underscore how immigration debates are shaping state politics in a year when leadership in Alabama is preparing for leadership transitions.