Research Note Researched

Alabama — 287(g) explosion, zombie prison, construction raids, state legislation

Alabama has emerged as one of the most aggressive states in the country for ICE enforcement cooperation. Immigration arrests nearly doubled in the first half of 2025 (1,947 by June 26 vs. total for all 2024), at least 13 local agencies have 287(g) agreements, and the state legislature is moving to give all local police immigration enforcement authority.

The 287(g) Explosion

Before 2025, Alabama had a handful of 287(g) agreements. As of 2025-2026, at least 13 sheriff’s departments and one municipal police department participate:

Active 287(g) Counties (confirmed)

Colbert County — at least one agreement
Crenshaw County — at least one agreement
Elmore County — at least one agreement
Etowah County — multiple agreements (also IGSA)
Franklin County — at least one agreement
Henry County — at least one agreement
Baldwin County — Task Force model (most aggressive), 7 agreements
Mobile County — Sheriff Paul Burch, targeting interstate areas

Pending

Houston County Sheriff’s Office
Dale County — Level Plains Police Department

Key Facilities

Facility	County	FIPS	Type	Beds	Status
Etowah County Detention Center	Etowah	01055	County jail/IGSA	865	Reopened Feb 2025
Perry County Correctional Center	Perry	01105	Private prison (LCS)	738	Operational, low pop
Baldwin County Jail	Baldwin	01003	County jail/IGSA	Expanding	$64M expansion
Pickens County Jail	Pickens	01107	County jail/IGSA	Unknown	Transfer point
Montgomery City Jail	Montgomery	01101	IGSA (<72hr)	Unknown	Short-term holding

State Legislation: HB13 / Alabama “Laken Riley Act” — DIED in 2026 session

Sponsor: Rep. Ernie Yarbrough (R-Trinity)
House passed: March 18, 2026
STATUS (update May 2026): FAILED. HB13 was on the Senate’s agenda but never received a Senate floor vote before the 2026 regular session adjourned sine die on April 10, 2026. It died with several other bills amid Senate tensions over an unrelated closed-primary bill on the final legislative day. Senate Pro Tem Garlan Gudger said the bill will “likely return next year.” It will NOT take effect June 1, 2026 as the earlier draft of this note projected.
What it would have done:
- Allowed local law enforcement to sign MOUs with DHS to enforce immigration law
- Officers could arrest individuals suspected of being undocumented with probable cause
- Mandated specific protocols for county/municipal jails for immigration holds
- Allowed transport of suspected undocumented individuals to federal facilities
Opposition: ACLU of Alabama, immigrant advocacy groups (ACLU of Alabama listed its defeat as a win in its 2026 session summary)
Pattern: A similar bill passed the House in April 2025 but also died; HB13 is the second consecutive year the measure cleared the House and died in the Senate. Expect a third attempt in 2027. Note that statutory authority is largely redundant in practice — Alabama sheriffs are already signing 287(g) agreements directly with ICE without it.

ALEA-ICE Partnership (Motor Carrier Safety)

Governor Kay Ivey announced a partnership between ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit and ICE, initiated October 27, 2025:

82 individuals detained during commercial vehicle inspections
Two “Strike Force” operations: Oct 27-30 and Nov 16-18, 2025
Targets trucking operators for immigration violations

Notable Enforcement Actions

Construction Site Raids (Baldwin County)

15+ warrantless raids since Jan 2025
Nearly 50 workers detained at school construction sites
U.S. citizen Leonardo Garcia Venegas detained twice; class-action lawsuit filed

TPS Holder Detention (Birmingham)

Reginald Toussaint, Haitian TPS holder, detained March 2026 while picking up wife from hospital shift
Multiple unmarked vehicles surrounded family minivan with children present
Charged with “impersonating a U.S. citizen” despite having valid TPS

HICA Volunteer Detained

Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama reported ICE detained one of their volunteers

Iranian Doctoral Student (Tuscaloosa)

Student taken from off-campus residence, held in Pickens County Jail, transferred to Louisiana

Community Resistance

Bham Migra Watch

The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice and Birmingham organizations set up an ICE-watch program alerting communities of ICE arrest locations, times, and dates.

Protests

Jan 31, 2026: Vigils and demonstrations across Alabama following ICE-related violence
Feb 1, 2026: Hundreds protested in Huntsville in sub-freezing temperatures
Mar 28, 2026: Thousands attended “No Kings” protests across Alabama
Baldwin County: Indivisible chapter organized vigils at Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship

Legal Challenges

Garcia Venegas v. Homan (S.D. Alabama, 1:25-cv-00397) — Institute for Justice class-action on construction raids. Update May 2026: Chief Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock (a Trump appointee) ruled May 20, 2026 that Venegas has standing to sue, rejecting DHS’s motion to dismiss and calling an HSI supervisor’s declaration “not compelling.” A preliminary-injunction hearing was held May 27, 2026 in Mobile, with live testimony from Venegas and from Philip Lavoie, Acting ASAC of the Mobile DHS/HSI office. Judge gave no timeline for ruling. Plaintiff seeks to bar warrantless entry of private worksites, bar detention without particularized suspicion, and require immediate release of anyone showing a REAL ID. (See county-fight entry baldwin-county-al-construction-raids.)
Public records requests (Nov 2025) — ACIJ, HICA, CCR targeting Baldwin and Pickens sheriff’s offices and Leeds Police

Key Organizations

Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) — statewide coalition, Birmingham-based
Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) — direct services, advocacy
Adelante Alabama Worker Center — Hoover-based, migrant worker organizing
Center for Constitutional Rights — national, filing records requests
Institute for Justice — national, libertarian-leaning, filing class-action
Detention Watch Network — national, opposing Etowah reopening

Sources

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