Baldwin County Jail — $64M expansion, 7 287(g) agreements, ICE raid epicenter

Overview

The Baldwin County Jail in Bay Minette, AL is undergoing a $64 million expansion adding a new cell tower, docket room, and training facilities. Sheriff Anthony Lowery has signed a Task Force 287(g) agreement with ICE — the most aggressive model that extends enforcement beyond jails into the community. As of late August 2025, the new tower began accepting ICE detainees. The jail is currently approved to hold up to 10 ICE detainees for 72 hours, with that number expected to increase.

Key Details

287(g) Agreements

Baldwin County has 7 active 287(g) agreements — an extraordinarily high number for a single county. The Task Force model trains officers to act as immigration officers in the community, not just in the jail. Sheriff Lowery stated the office is “committed to enforcing immigration” and is targeting “bigger fish” involved in drug and gun trafficking.

$64M Jail Expansion

New cell block tower, docket room, and training facilities
Ribbon cutting held October 2025
Sheriff stated expansion gives capacity for ICE detention program
First ICE detainees accepted late August 2025

ICE Raid Epicenter

Baldwin County has been the epicenter of Alabama’s construction site ICE raids:

At least 15 warrantless raids of private construction sites since January 2025
May 21, 2025: Raid at residential subdivision; agents jumped fences, detained all Latino workers
June 12, 2025: Additional construction site raids
July 23, 2025: 11 arrested at elementary school construction site
Summer 2025: Nearly 50 workers detained at Gulf Shores and Loxley school construction projects
Baldwin County seeing more ICE detainees than any other county in the state per Sheriff Lowery

Institute for Justice Lawsuit (Garcia Venegas v. ICE)

Leonardo Garcia Venegas, a U.S. citizen concrete worker, was arrested by ICE twice during construction site raids in Baldwin County despite presenting proof of citizenship. Filed class-action lawsuit in September 2025 in the Southern District of Alabama via the Institute for Justice, demanding an end to “unconstitutional and illegal immigration enforcement tactics.” Agents detained everyone who “looked Latino” while ignoring others.

Civil Rights Investigation

In November 2025, the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Hispanic and Immigrant Center of Alabama, and Center for Constitutional Rights filed public records requests targeting the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, seeking:

287(g) agreements and amendments
Payments from ICE
Records of detention activity
Raid documentation

Why This Matters

Baldwin County is Alabama’s most aggressive 287(g) participant with 7 agreements, a Task Force model that extends enforcement into the community, and a $64M jail expansion designed to increase ICE detention capacity. The construction site raids — targeting Latino workers with warrantless, suspicionless operations — produced the kind of civil rights violation that generates landmark litigation. The Garcia Venegas lawsuit could set precedent on racial profiling in immigration enforcement.

Detention Pipeline